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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

Chai)..£.^' Copyright No.. 

Shelf„A.3)-^7 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



Colonial Massachusetts 



Slon'es of the Old Bay State 



MRS. S. E. DAWES 




SILVER, BURDETT & COMPANY 

New York BOSTON Chicaco 

1899 



•3 .'5 143 



CorvRUillT, iSgg, 

By Silver, Bukdett and Cumpanv. 



WO COPIES RtiOi-iVeO, 




c. j. peters & son, typographers, 

Rockwell and Churchill Press, 

Boston, U.S A. 






iltss iLaura J. Brooks, 

PRINCIPAL UK THE BURNS SCHOOL, SOMERVILLE, MASS., 

WHOSE WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT 
WERE AX INSPIRATION TO THE AUTHOR WHILE PREPARING IT, 

riiis Folumc 

IS GRATEFULLY DEDICATED. 



PREFACE. 



The history of tlie American Republic, as regards the 
founding of its free institutions, and the birth of the civil and 
religious libert}- which we enjoy, was begun in the Old Bay 
State. In a certain sense, especially as stamping the character 
of the newer States, Massachusetts may be called with truth the 
Mother-State of the Union. 

It has seemed to the writer that a series of short stories, 
describing its early settlers, their struggles, sufferings, and 
achievements, might be both instructive and entertaining, espe- 
ciallv to voung people. The statistics of history have a more 
vivid interest when the student first becomes familiar with them 
in the form of narrative, and fact often, as has been well said, 
''slips into the reader's mind leaning on the arm of anecdote." 
The facts given in this \olume have been carefully compiled 
from reliable historical works, and are believed to be accurate. 

It is hoped that the perusal of these stories will stimulate 
younger readers, especiallv, to seek a more extended acquain- 
tance with the heroic pioneers and patriots who, under such strain 
and stress, laid the foundations of our glorious republic. 

S. E. D. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER PAGE 

I. The Story of the PiLGRiAts 13 

II. The Beginnings of Pjoston 23 

III. Boston Under the Rovai. Governors 33 

IV. The Boston Massacre 42 

V. The Boston Tea Party, and What came of It . . . 51 

VI. First Battles of the American Revolution .... 62 

VII. The Evacuation of Boston . 72 

VIII. Story of Kinc; Philip's War . .' 80 

IX. The First Town on the Connecticut River .... 88 

X. The Deerfieli) Captives 95 

XI. The Indians and Their Traits 102 

XII. The Old Powder House in Somerville 112 

XIII. Harvard College in the Olden Time ...... 118 

XIV. An Old Historic Mansion 127 

XV. Bunker Hill and Its Monument ........ 136 

XVI. The Boyhood and Youth of Benjamin Franklin . . 145 

XVII. Franklin, the Philosopher and Statesman .... 154 

X\'III. An Eccentric Character in Early Colonial History. 162 

XIX. Manners and Customs of Old Colonial Days . . . 169 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



The Mayflower 13 

Elder Brewster's Chair } 
Peregrine White's Cradle \ 

Captain Myles Standish .... 15 

Clark's Island 16 

Canopy over Plymouth Rock . . 18 

Myles Standish's Sword .... 19 
Looking up Boston Harbor from the 

Middle Brewster 20 

A Bit of Old Plymouth .... 21 

Burial Hill, Plymouth 22 

Statue of Blaclcstone 24 

Governor Winthrop 26 

Mrs. Winthrop preparing to come 

to America 27 

Tomb of the Mathers (Copp's Hill), 29 

Pilgrims going to Church .... 30 

Statue of Governor Winthrop . . ;^2 

Statue of Sir Harry Vane .... 35 

King's Chapel 38 

Old Province House 39 

Old State House 41 

British Ships of War Landing at 

Boston 43 

Old Liberty Tree 44 

First Town House 46 

Samuel Adams 47 

Crispus Attucks Monument ... 49 

Faneuil Hall 53 

The Old South Church .... 54 

The Boston Tea Party 56 

John Hancock 57 



The Minute-Man 61 

Interior of Old South Church . . 64 

Christ Church 66 

Paul Revere 67 

Battle of Le.xington 68 

Concord Bridge 71 

Battle of Bunker Hill 73 

The Washington Elm 74 

General Israel Putnam 76 

A Revolutionary Musket .... 79 

Indian Weapons 80 

King Philip Si 

The Attack on Brookfield, Mass. . 84 

William Pynchon 89 

Old Pynchon House 90 

An Old House at Deerfiekl ... 95 

Indian Scout 102 

Indian Snowshoes 103 

Indian Pipes 103 

Indian Tomahawk 104 

Indian Shell A.\ 104 

Indian Method of Broiling . . . 106 

Indian Canoe no 

Old Powder House 112 

Tablet on the Old Powder House . 114 

Harvard College Campus. . . . 119 

Wadsworth House 122 

The Old Vassal House .... 128 

George Washington 131 

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow . . 133 

Bunker Hill Monument .... 137 

Prescott's Statue m8 



10 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



General Joseph Warren .... 139 

Daniel Webster 143 

Flag used by New England Troops 

at the Battle of Bunker Hill . 144 

Birthplace of Benjamin F"ranklin . 145 

An Old-Time Printing Press . . . 147 
Young Franklin Laughed at by his 

Future Wife 152 

Benjamin Franklin 154 

Franklin and the Queen of France, 1 59 

Marquis de Lafayette 160 

Franklin's Clock 161 

Timothy Dexter ....... 162 

House of Timothy Dexter . . . 163 



Timothy Dexter House as it now 

Appears ........ 168 

Colonial I?edroom 169 

Old Nurse Homestead ..... 1 70 

Colonial Fireplace 171 

A Kitchen in the Olden Time . . 172 

Old-Style Coach ' 173 

First Church at Salem ... . . . 174 

Full Dress Costumes in Colonial 

Days 175 

Pine -Tree Shilling 176 

Old Chest 177 

Spinning Wheel 178 



STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 



STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 



CHAPTER I. 



THE STORY OF THE PILGRniS. 



One memorable day in the month of November, 1620, the 
Mayflower, a small vessel that had sailed from England many 
weeks before, came to anchor in Cape Cod Bay. She had on 




■rilK MAVKI i>\\ .KK 



board, besides the sailors, a company of one hundred and one 
brave men and women. Thev had left their native land to 
seek a new home where thev could live quietly, and worship 



14 



STORIES OF THE OLD BAV STATE. 



God in the way they thought to be right, without hindrance 
from any one. 

The voyage had been a long and stormy one, and their 
hearts were filled with joy as they saw before them the shores 
of the new land. They had left home and friends far behind 
them, and, no doubt, tliey had many sad and anxious hours as 
they were crossing the storm}- ocean. 

All of them had been sick : and one of their number had 

died, and been buried in an 
ocean "-rave. Two babies 
were born during the vov- 
age. One of them was born 
at mid-ocean ; and he was 
called Oceanus, in memory 
of his birthplace. The other 
was born after the ves- 
sel entered Cape Cod 
Bay, and was given the 
name of Peregrine. 
This seems an odd one 
to us ; but as people in 
those days gave their 
children queer names, 
little Peregrine White 
might well have been thankful that his was no worse. When 
he reached middle life the Court gave him two hundred acres 
of land in Bridgewater, on account of his being the first white 
child born in New England. 

These good people on board the Mayflower, who are known 
in history as the " Pilgrims," were given some excellent advice 
by their minister, John Robinson, before they left England. He 
told them that in the new land to which they were going, they 




ELDER BREWSTER'S CHAIR. 
PEREGRINE WHITE'S CRADLE. 



THE STORY OF THE PILGRIMS. 



15 



would need some sort of a government, and to form one should 
be among their first acts as a colony : and now, as the shores of 
their new home were in sight, they remembered his words. 

So they gathered in the cabin of the jNIaytlower, and signed 
a paper in which they all agreed to stand by one another, and 
to obey the laws which might be made and enforced by otHcials 
whom they all should have the right to choose. The}' then 
proceeded to elect a governor ; and 
their choice fell upon John Carver, 
a most excellent man of their com- 
pany. 

The next thing to be done was 
to decide where they should settle. 
They had heard of a line country 
farther to the west, on the banks 
of the beautiful river which Henry 
Hudson had discovered, and which 
bore his name. In fact, when the\' 
left England the}- intended to shape 
their course for that place ; but some- 
how they drifted out of their way, 
and found themselves in the spa- 
cious bay where they were now an- 
chored. Some wanted even now 

to sail for the Hudson River ; but most of them were so weary 
of being on shipboard, that they were eager to make a huid- 
ing, and to begin building a home. 

So one day Captain Myles Standish, who was the soldier of 
the company, took sixteen men and boldly went on shore. The 
snows of winter had already fallen, and they found it a most 
dreary place. They had heard that Indians lived there, and as 
they went farther into the woods they found paths which they 




CAP IAIN .MVLKS Sl'AMUbH. 



i6 



STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 



thought might lead to their dwellings. But not a living person 
did they see in all their march. 

They came across a large mound in one of the paths, which 
was shaped something like a grave. In this they found the 
bones and skull of a man, besides bowls, trays, and dishes, and 
a great many trinkets. Shortly after they found another mound, 
in which were three or four bushels of corn ; and from these 
discoveries they knew that Indians must have been living there 
not a great while before. 




CLARK S ISLAND. 



They took some of this corn for planting in the spring ; and 
afterward, when they found it belonged to the Indian chief 
Massasoit, they made him a suitable payment for it. 

The Pilgrims were pleased with what they saw of the land : 
but as vet had found no place which quite suited them for a 
home, and they went back to their ship. But the captain of 
the Mavflower was in a hurry to get home to England, and told 
them that if they didn't choose some place soon, he should put 
them off on shore wherever he pleased. 

So once more they entered their shallop. This was a small 



THE STOKV OF THE PILGRIMS. 1/ 

vessel which they broui^fht over upon the Maytiower, and it 
proved to be just what they needed for coasting along the shore. 
Captain Standish took with him this time the governor, John 
Carver, his friends William Bradford and Edward Winslow, 
and eight of the sailors. They were nearly frozen before they 
reached land, for they were driven about by a great storm of 
snow and sleet. The land where they found a shelter during 
the night proved to be an island named Patmos. They after- 
ward called it Clark's Island, for the mate of the vessel, who 
was the first man to step on shore. 

The next day was the Sabbath ; and although they were in 
a great hurry to get away, they felt they must keep it sacredly, 
and rest until the following day, which they did. On this da}', 
the 2 2d of December as we reckon time now, they set sail again ; 
and after coasting along the shore for awhile they landed upon 
Pl3^mouth Rock, a spot which has ever since been regarded by 
their descendants as most sacred. 

The Pilgrims found such a beautiful spring of drinking- 
water, and were so pleased with w^hat they saw of Plymouth, 
that they decided to found a settlement there. This place had 
been visited some months before by Captain John Smith, and he 
gave it the name of Plymouth. As this was the name of the 
town in England from whence they sailed, no doubt the Pilgrims 
thought it an appropriate one, for it was never changed. 

The severe weather and the hardships thev liad to meet, 
caused a great deal of sickness among the Pilgrims ; and before 
three months had passed half of their number had died. But as 
the warm spring days came, the Pilgrims grew well and strong 
again, and with new hope and courage set about planting their 
gardens. 

Their Indian neighbors began now to visit them : and one 
day they were filled with wonder, \\ hen a dusky savage suddenly 



iS 



STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 



appeared among them, and in broken English called out, " Wel- 
come, Englishmen." He made such friendly signs to them 
that they resolved to treat him as kindly as possible, and so set 
before him a hearty meal, of which he was glad to partake. 
He told them he had learned to speak their language from some 




CANOPY OVER PLYMOUTH ROCK. 



sailors on the coast of Maine, where he once lived ; and he gave 
them much needed information about the Indians who lived 
near them. 

This good Indian's name was Samoset, and he was the 
first one of his race whom the Pilgrims had ever seen. He is 
described in the " Pilgrims' Journal " as " a tall, straight man, 
the hair of his head black, long behind and short before, and 



THE STORY OF THE PILWKIMS. I9 

no beard. He was naked, except for a strip of leather about 
his waist, which had a fringe a span long or more. He had 
a bow and two arrows, the one bended, the other not." 

Samoset told them that Massasoit, a powerful chief, lived 
not far away ; and he promised to come again, and bring some 
of his tribe with him. Sure enough, Samoset kept his promise, 
and returned not long after with tive friends, to whom the 
Pilgrims gave a cordial welcome. In a few days the great 
Massasoit himself appeared, and thev tried to receive him with 
all due honor. Tiie Pilgrim governor came out to meet him, 
with a trumpet and drum pla^'ing before him, and quite a 
respectable bodyguard of men armed with guns. They had 
a pleasant meeting; and a "treaty of friendship" was made 
between them, which lasted for more than fifty years. 

But although Massasoit kept his faith with them, and was 
always friendly, some of the other Indian tribes were not. 
Qiiite often there were attacks made upon their settlement ; and 
for protection they were obliged to build a palisade, or high 
fence, about their homes. Captain Standish and his brave men 
had many encounters with the Indians ; and once he severely 
punished Pecksuot, a bragging chief who insulted him. 




MILES STANDISH S SWORD. 



This Indian was very tall, and Captain Standish was a 
small man : and when the former jeered at the captain on 
account of his statm-e, the latter was angrv. Watching his 
chance, the Pilgrim captain lured this chief and two others into 
a cabin, and there thev liad a tierce light; but the captain 
conquered at last, and left his insulting foe dead upon tlie field. 



20 



STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 



During their lirst summer, the Pilgrims often made excur- 
sions of many miles into the surrounding country. One night 
Captain Standish, with nine of his friends and three Indians to 
interpret for him, soiled in his shallop along the coast of what 
is now Massachusetts Bay. They slowly wound their way 
among the islands in Boston Harbor; and, after resting until 




Li)(>KTN(; UI' BCJSTON HARBOR FROM THE MIDnLF, BREWSTER. 



morning in their vessel, they went ashore. Thev were greatly 
pleased with the place, especially with the beautiful river they 
found, and the spacious bay into which it flowed. 

After their return the settlers began to gather their first har- 
vest. It was not a very bountiful one ; but it made a good 
beginning, and their hearts were filled with gratitude to God. 
They thought a good way to show this was to make a feast, 
and to invite others to rejoice with them. In the woods were 



THE STORY OF THE PILGRIMS. 



21 



many wild turkeys ; and sometimes thev would shoot a deer, 
and thus procure some nice venison. They sent out hunters 
to shoot these wald turkeys and deer, so that before the time 
appointed for the feast they had an ample supply. 

They invited as their guests Massasoit and ninety of his 
people, and as their contribution to the feast the Indians brought 
with them tive deer. For three days they feasted and enter- 




A BIl' OK OLD PLYMOUTH. 



tained their guests, and thus was kept the first Thanksgiving 
in the new colony. 

It has seemed such a fitting thing to give thanks for the 
autumn harvest, that this Thanksgiving festival is now kept, i 
not only in that section of the country where the Pilgrims once 
lived, but all over the United States. 

By and by other people came over from England and settled 
in different places in the new land, and gradually prosperous 
towns and cities grew up. They were all united, in the course 



22 



STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 



of time, under one local government, and formed the State of 
Massachusetts. Its name is supposed to have been derived 
from the blue appearance of the hills, as this is the meaning 
of the word in the Indian language. 

There is scarcely a town whose history is not full of the brave 
deeds of its early settlers ; but the Pilgrim Fathers, who were 
the pioneers, and lived such heroic lives in Plymouth, have 
made that ancient town one of the most famous in the whole 
State. 












,iA\^^^^ / " ^ J 






BURIAL HILL, PLYMOUTH. 
The obelisk in the center is Governor Bradford ''s iiioiniiiieiit, erected in 1825. 



THE BEGINNINGS OF BOSTON. 2$ 



CHAPTER II. 



THE BEGINNINGS OF BOSTON. 



In the summer of 162 1, Captain Myles Standisli and a few 
of his Pilgrim friends sailed from Plymouth in tlieir little shal- 
lop, up among the beaudful islands of Boston harbor, going 
ashore upon the main land. They had made this trip in order 
to secure if possible the friendship of the Massachusetts Indians 
who lived there. In this they were successful ; for they were 
welcomed by Obbatinewat, the chief, and kindly entertained 
with lobsters and boiled codhsh. 

They found it a lovely region of hills and dales, with abun- 
dant springs of pure water ; and there was a fine river flowing 
into the bay, which was afterward named the Charles. Not 
far from the shore were three prominent hills, whose Indian 
name was Shawmut. There were only a few red men here ; for 
a pestilence had broken out among the Indian tribes only a short 
time before the Pilgrims landed, and had swept away the greater 
part of the inhabitants. 

Two years afterwards, William Blackstone, an Episcopal 
minister from England, who wished to live a hermit life, came 
over and settled in Shawmut. He built a small house just large 
enough for himself on a slope of Beacon Hill ; and as his land 
included what is now Boston Common, it is probable that he 
pastured his cow there. This was the first house built by white 
men on the spot where now stands the flourishing city of Boston. 

A few years later, some good people who lived in Boston, 



24 



STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 



England, having 
bought a tract of land 
in the new country, 
and obtained a char- 
ter for it from the 
king, decided to settle 
there. They formed 
themselves into a com- 
pany, with John Win- 
throp for governor. 
After many months 
of preparation, a fleet 
of twelve vessels was 
engaged to transport 
the compan\\ Only 
six of these vessels 
were ready to sail at 
the time the governor 
had set for leaving 
port. The one upon 
which he embarked 
was called the Arbel- 
la, for Lady Arbella 
Johnson, who, with her 
husband, was among 
the passengers. An- 
other of the vessels was 
the Mayflower, which 
had brought over the 
STATUK uF Bi.ACKSTuNE. Pllgrlms of Plymouth 

ten years before. 
After a long voyage, the voyagers sighted Mount Desert on 




THE BEGINNINGS OF BOSTON. 2$ 

the 8th of June, 1630; and on the 12th they entered Salem 
harbor and made a landing. John Endicott heartily welcomed 
them, and urged them to sta}- ; but they remained only a few 
days, for Governor Winthrop made an exploring-tour, and se- 
lected Charlestown for their future home. They set sail for 
that place, and in a few days began a settlement there. Many 
gentlemen of property besides Governor Winthrop were in the 
company, among whom were Saltonstall, Dudley, Bradstreet, 
Wilson, and others who became famous men in history. 

They tried to make pleasant homes for themselves at Charles- 
town, and bravely bore the hardships that always come to people 
who settle new countries. They doubtless felt sad and home- 
sick during the summer following their arrival ; for a fearful 
sickness broke out among them, and many of their people died. 
The malady which so reduced their numbers was thought to 
have been caused by the impure water thev were obliged to 
drink. 

The three hills of Shawmut which were in sight from their 
homes suggested a name, and they were the tirst to call the 
place Trimountain. It is quite likelv that thev formed the ac- 
quaintance of Mr. Blackstone ; he proved himself to be a true 
neighbor in the Bible meaning of the word. When he heard 
of the sickness caused by impure drinking-water, he invited 
them all to come over and share the good spring water found 
upon his farm. They accepted the invitation gladly, and were 
so much pleased with their new quarters that they decided to 
remain in that locality. 

Mr. Blackstone had lived a secluded life before, and he soon 
grew tired of these people whom he had invited to make their 
homes in Shawmut. Not only the dwellers at Charlestown but 
many from Salem had come, and perhaps he was not pleased 
with their increasing numbers. We are told that he sold them 



26 



STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 



all the land he owned except six acres around his own house. 
He then went away to make another wilderness home for him- 
self in Rhode Island. 

The colonists, who had now decided to make their perma- 
nent home on the Trimountain peninsula, grew contented and 

prosperous as time 
went on. It is true 
they missed a great 
many of the comforts 
of their old home, but 
they were willing to 
be deprived of these 
for the sake of the lib- 
erty they enjoyed here. 
They were fortunate 
in having such an ex- 
cellent governor for 
the founder of their 
city. 

We learn a great 
deal about his charac- 
ter from his journal, 
GOVERNOR wTNTHRor. whlch hc beirau on 

board the Arbella, 
and which he faith- 
fully kept for a great many years. One record in it shows that 
Governor Winthrop was the pioneer in temperance reform. He 
writes in this journal: "The governor, upon consideration of 
the inconveniences which had grown up in England by drinking 
one to another, restrained it at his own table, and wished others 
to do the like, so as it grew little and little into disuse." 

Sometimes the sun of prosperity passes into a cloud, and it 




From (I Painting in tlie State Heuse at Bostoti, 
attributed to I'aniiyke. 



THE BEGINNINGS OF BOSTON. 



27 



was so with the colonists. Their food supply, which largely 
came from England, began to grow scarce, and no vessel came 
to their aid. For six months they waited anxiously for supplies ; 
and as their situation was growing more serious every day, a 
fast was appointed to pray for relief. 

Governor Winthrop, out of his kind heart, was giving some 
of the last of his own meal to a needy neighbor, when the 



-IFI 







MRS. WINTHROP PREPARING TO COME TO AMERICA. 

good ship Lion entered the harbor with plenty of food on 
board. Instead of fasting they thought it was an occasion for 
thanksgiving; and so Governor Winthrop appointed the 22d 
of February, 1631, for that purpose. It is a rather singular 
coincidence that this month and day are now observed all over 
America as Washington's birthday. 

During all this time Margaret Winthrop, the wife of the 
governor, was still in England, arranging for the sale of all 
their property there, and for the removal of herself and family 



28 STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 

to Boston. The name Boston had been adopted by the colonists 
for their httle town September 17, 1630, in memory, no doubt, 
of the place from which they sailed in England. 

The governor anxiously awaited the arrival of his family ; 
and on the Fourth of March, 163 1, they reached Boston, safe 
and well. The colonists rejoiced at the happy meeting of the 
governor and his family, and guns were fired in their honor. A 
large contribution of provisions, including poultry, was brought 
them ; and there was great rejoicing all over the town. The 
governor felt so grateful for the safe arrival of his kindred, that 
he appointed a second Thanksgiving Day, and we may be quite 
sure that it was well observed. 

Governor Winthrop built his house near one of the springs 
on the main street of the town. The spot w^as opposite where 
School Street now is, and the Spring Lane of to-day took its 
name from the spring on the governor's place. Qiiite a large 
garden surrounded the house, and the Old South Church now 
stands on a part of it. 

This main street was called in after years by a number of 
different names. On the town records of 1708, it was known 
as Cornhill in one place, Marlborough in another locality, and 
Newbury Street and Orange Street as it went farther south. 
When the first president of the United States entered Boston in 
1789, it was changed to Washington Street in his honor. The 
streets in those early days were roughly paved ; there were no 
sidewalks, and people on foot were obliged to walk in the middle 
of the street. 

The hills of the town had their names. The one at the 
North End was called Windmill. It is now known as Copp's 
Hill, and the burying-ground on its summit is an interesting 
place to visit. On the old gravestones which mark the resting- 
place of the early settlers are the quaintest of epitaphs. 



THE BEGIXXIXGS OF IJOSTOX. 



29 



Fort Hill was farther south ; within a few years this has 
been all dug away, and where it once was is level ground, 
thickly covered with warehouses. The hill which Mr. Black-» 
stone's farm included was hrst called Sentry Hill, because a 
sentinel was alwavs posted there. Afterwards he was removed, 
and a beacon placed there ; and the name was then changed 
to Beacon Hill, which it still retains. 

The people in those days kept early hours ; for a public bell 




TOMB OF THE MATHERS (COPP's HILL). 



awoke them at half-past four in the morning, and the curfew 
rang for them to cover their lires and go to bed at nine o'clock 
in the eveninir. The gfovernor and his family obeyed all these 
rules as well as others, and tried always to set a good example 
for the people. 

The colonists went to meeting regularly, and a drum was 
beaten twice a day to call them to the services. At hrst they 
worshiped in private houses, and sometimes " abroad under a 
tree ; " but as soon as possible a meeting-house was built on what 



30 STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 

is now State Street, near Devonshire. It was a rude building, 
with mud walls and a thatched roof ; but they were glad even 
of this house in which they could worship God. 

The men were always required to sit on one side of the 
meeting-house and the women upon the other. The boys were 
put in charge of a man whose special duty it was to see that 
they behaved in an orderly manner. As the sermons in those 




PILGRIMS COING TO CHURCH. 



George' Henry Bouglao 



days were usually more than an hour long, and sometimes con- 
tinued for two hours, the poor boys must have had a sad time 
of it. The older people also were obliged to keep still, for 
there was a law passed in 1635 fining persons twelve pence 
for talking in meeting. All the men among the worshipers were 
armed with guns, for use if the}^ were attacked by Indians. 

John Winthrop and his family were always prompt in their 
attendance at these services, and they used to walk twice a day 
from their home to the meeting-house on State Street. He was 



THE BEGINMXGS OF BOSTON. 3I 

a kind, benevolent man, and an extract from White's " Early 
History of New England " thus reads : — 

" It was the custom of Governor Winthrop to send some of 
his family upon errands to the houses of the poor, about their 
meal time, on purpose to spy whether they wanted ; and if it 
was found that they were needy, he would make that the oppor- 
tunity of sending supplies to them. 

"In a hard and long winter, when wood was very scarce in 
Boston, a man gave him private information that a needv person 
in the neighborhood sometimes stole wood from his pile ; upon 
which the governor, in a seeming anger, replied : ' Does he so? 
I'll take a course with him. Go call that man to me; I'll war- 
rant vou I'll cure him of stealing.' When the man came the 
governor, considering that, if he had stolen, it was out of neces- 
sity rather than disposition, said to him : ' Friend, it is a severe 
winter, and I doubt you are but meanly provided with wood ; 
wherefore I would have you supply yourself at mv woodpile 
till this cold season be over.' And he then merrilv asked his 
friends ' whether he had not effectually cured this man of steal- 
ing his wood.'" 

Governor Winthrop's Christian forbearance is illustrated bv 
the following anecdote ; — 

" On receiving a very bitter and provoking letter, he gave it 
back to the person who brought it, saying, ' I am not willing 
to keep such an occasion of provocation bv me.' The person 
who wrote the letter had occasion some time after to desire the 
governor to sell him one or two fat swine. The governor sent 
word to him to send for one, and accept it as a token of good 
will. To this message the man returned the following answer, 
'Your overcoming yourself has overcome me.' " 

The governor spent a large portion of his ample fortune for 
the benefit of the colony he had founded and which he lo\ed, 



32 



STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 



and the best years of his life were given to its service. A se- 
vere cold, followed by a fever, caused his death, which occurred 
on March 26, 1649, at the comparatively early age of fifty-one. 
He was buried in King's Chapel Burying-Ground, where his 
tomb may now be seen. 

The city of Boston, which he founded, has erected a bronze 
statue to his memory, which stands upon a stone pedestal in 
Scollay Square. It represents the governor as just landing 
upon Massachusetts soil, with the roll of the colony charter in 
one hand and his Bible in the other. Behind him is the trunk 
of a tree, around which a rope is coiled, to signify the fastening 
of his boat. 




STATUE OF GOVERNOR WTNTHROP. 



BOSTON UNDER THE ROYAL GOVERNORS. 33 



CHAPTER III. 

BOSTON UNDER THE ROYAL GOVERNORS. 

We must not omit from the story of Boston some account of 
the noted preachers, who were so famous in its early days. 
The tirst minister of the town was John Wilson, a godly man, 
and much beloved by his people. He used to preach in private 
houses and out-of-doors under the trees, before the first meeting- 
house was built. 

About five years after the First Church was formed, Richard' 
Mather came over from England ; and he was the first of a fam- 
ily who became famous in politics as well as religion. Then 
there was good old John Cotton, who for twenty years was the 
minister of St. Botolph's Church in Boston, England. His con- 
science would not permit him to use the ritual that Archbishop 
Laud had appointed ; so he left his home, and fled to the new 
Boston across the sea, where he could worship God as he 
pleased. 

John Cotton was said to be a wonderful orator, who charmed 
every one that heard him preach. He was an honored pastor 
of the First Church, and was ' succeeded by John Norton, a 
learned and eloquent man, who also had a great influence in 
the colony. In the same vessel with Mrs. Winthrop came John 
Eliot, who afterward spent manv vears of his life in teaching 
the Indians. 

When the son of Richard Mather was born, it seemed to be 
a time of prosperitv in the colony, or as the historian tells us. 



34 STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 

" there was an increase of every sort," so the child was named 
Increase. He proved to be a wonderfullv intelHgent bov, and 
so mature in mind that he was htted to enter Harvard College 
at the age of twelve years. He became a most learned man, 
and was prominent in the political affairs of his time, besides 
being for sixty years the honored minister of the old church in 
North Square. He married a daughter of John Cotton ; and 
when their eldest child was born he was called Cotton, for his 
maternal grandfather. 

This Cotton Mather was quite a literarv giant in his da\', 
and felt himself of much importance from having two such 
famous grandparents as Richard Mather and John Cotton. He 
was an ambitious man, and wanted \erv much at one time to 
become the president of Har^'ard College, as his father was 
• before him. When another was chosen to till that office he was 
much disappointed, and thought a great mistake was made in 
not electing him. 

A strange, nervous disease appeared among the people of 
the colonv during his ministrv, to which thev ga\e the name of 
witchcraft : and manv innocent men and women were accused 
of being witches. Some of these unfortunate people were con- 
demned in Boston, and were hung from the great elm-tree on 
the Common. It is hard to believe that onlv a little more than 
two hundred vears ago sensible people could have been so de- 
luded. Even the learned Cotton Mather seemed to be an honest 
believer in witchcraft, and a great manv absurd stories in regard 
to it are found in his writings. 

Governor Winthrop was succeeded bv six other governors. 
Sir Henry Vane, Uudlev, Endicott, Haves, Bellingham, and 
Leverett. Their names mav now be seen on the street signs 
and public places of Boston. During John Leverett's term 
of office there were exciting times in the good old town of 



BOSTOxX UxXDEK THE KOVAL GOVEKXOR.S. 



35 



Boston. News came one day from Plymouth that the Indians 
had attacked tlie town of Swansea near them, and burned two 
of the houses, besides killing- many of the people. Governor 
Leverett set right about raising men for defense ; and in three 
hours, we are told, a hundred and ten men were all ready to 
start. This proved to be the tirst out- 
break of King Philip's War, and was a 
\erv serious one for the colonies. 

A large number of towns in Massa- 
chusetts suffered severelv in this cruel 
warfare with the Indians. An interest- 
ing incident of the war happened in Dor- 
chester, a town just out of Boston. One 
Sundav, when all the family of John 
Minot, except his two little children and 
the maidservant, were at church, an In- 
dian tried to break into tlie house. Tiiere 
happened to be two large brass kettles in 
the room ; and the maid hid the children 
under these, while she ran upstairs to get 
a musket. With this she shot the Indian 
in the shoulder, but he still attempted to 
enter the house. While he was climbing 
in at the window, this brave voung woman 
threw a shovelful of live coals directly 

into his face ; and this sent him awav in great haste to the woods, 
where he was afterwards found dead. The governor gave the 
young woman a silver wristband, on which was engraved the 
motto, " She slew the Narragansett hunter." 

This war, which caused so much suffering, and which was 
planned and carried on by King Philip, came to an end at his 
death. Before the Indian War closed, however, another trouble 
came to the colonists. 




STATUE OF SIR HARRY VANE, 
BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY. 



36 STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 

King Charles had been restored to the throne of England, 
but it was some months before he was proclaimed king in Boston. 
This monarch no doubt regarded the people with less favor 
than he would have done if they had acted more promptly. He 
sent over Edward Randolph to inquire into the political state of 
affairs in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Randolph returned 
a report that the people of Boston were flourishing, and so pow- 
erful that they gave laws to a large part of the country under 
a charter which they pretended that the king's father, Charles 
First, had given them. He advised that the king send over a 
governor of his own choosing, so that he might have these 
people more under his control. 

Randolph was a busy mischief-maker, striving in every way 
to stir up strife among the colonists, and make trouble between 
them and the king. He actually crossed the ocean sixteen times 
upon this business ; and he succeeded at last in creating such 
a bad feeling, that, in course of time, their charter was taken 
from them. 

Sir William Phips was the first of the royal governors sent 
over by the king, and he arrived at the time that the witchcraft 
delusion was causing such an excitement. Only two weeks 
after he landed, a son of John Alden of Plymouth was accused 
of being a witch, and was sent to be tried at Salem. The new 
governor gave his sanction to the persecution of the so-called 
witches, and set up a court in which to try them, appointing 
Samuel Sewall as one of the judges. 

The governor was not usually present at the sessions of this 
court, as his official business required him to be in other parts 
of the colony. Once on his return, he was much alarmed to 
find that his own wife was suspected of being a witch. Mem- 
bers of other families in high social standing were also suspected, 
and this caused the governor to put a stop directly to any more 



BOSTON UNDER THE ROVAL (iOVERNORS. yj 

arrests. Judge Sewall was so troubled m liis mind on account 
of the decisions he had made against these poor people, that he 
sent up what was called a "bill" to be read in the Old South 
Church, confessing his wrong-doing, and praying for the Divine 
forgiveness. 

The story of the life of Sir William Phips is almost as mar- 
velous as a fairy tale. He was the youngest of twenty-six 
children ; and his father was a poor blacksmith who was one of 
the early settlers in the woods of Maine, a region which then 
belonged to Massachusetts. William learned to build the small 
vessels that were there called coasters ; and he soon wished to 
sail in them himself, and see other places besides his own home. 

He came to Boston when he was about twenty-one years of 
age, and finding employment there, in due time he married a 
voung widow, and became for some time a resident of the place. 
Hearing from some sailors of a treasure ship that had been 
wrecked, belonging to England, he went to London, and gained 
permission to attempt the recovery of the treasure. His tirst 
enterprise failed, but in the second he was so successful that 
he brought "up from the sea the enormous sum of $1,500,000. 
Of this amount Phips received for his share nearly $100,000, 
and in addition a gold cup, valued at $5,000, for his wife. 

The kino- knighted him : and he came home as Sir William 
Phips, and lived in a "fair brick mansion" on Green Lane, 
afterwards called Charter Street, when the Province charter 
was brought over by him. He had once dreamed, when a poor 
boy, that he would live in this ^•erv place. He subsequently 
went again to England, and lived there until the king appointed 
him governor of the colony, in 1692. 

He had scarcely any education, and was a poor writer and 
a worse speller; so he must have had a hard time to keep up 
the diirnitv of his otfice amoup- the learned men of the time. 



38 



STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 



He had a quick temper, and sometimes knocked down persons 
who displeased him. He became so unpopular that his subjects 
sent a complaint to London, and he was summoned to appear 
there ; and he died suddenly soon after his arrival. 

The coming of the 
royal governors en- 
tirely changed the 
customs of Puritan 
Boston, especially in 
the management of 
public affairs. The 
people had always be- 
gun to keep the Sab- 
b a t h on Sat u r d a y 
evening, and the gov- 
ernors who had not 
been brought up in 
that way refused to 
conform to such a 
custom. ^ The plain 
church-buildings of 
the colonists were dis- 
tasteful to them : and 
they wanted a hner 
structure, where the 
ritual of the Church 
of England could be performed as in the old country. Man}- 
emigrants had come over before the advent of the royal gov- 
ernors, who were of the same mind, so that a first King's 
Chapel was built as early as 1689. Later on, in 1759, a larger 
and finer edifice was built, which still stands on the corner of 
Tremont and School Streets. 




Kl.Ni; S (_-HAl'KI,. 



BOSTON UNDER THE ROVAL GOVERNORS. 



39 



These governors lived in a tine mansion called the Province 
House. It stood nearly opposite the Old South Church, and 
was built of brick. It was three stories hioh, and had a tine 
cupola froni which there was an extensive \-iew of Boston and 
\icinity. The f^^overnors held a sort of regal court there, and 
nianv are the tine 

doings that are re- _ ss=^ =_^ _ .-^-. ^ ^ 

corded as ha\ing S/iJ^i^ffi^&sSfi^^ifi^vSSs^^ ^W^^ 
taken place within 
its walls. 

It was during 
the term of Gov- 
ernor Shute that 
both Increase and 
Cotton M a t ii e r 
died ; one in 1723, 
and the other five 
years later. Cot- 
ton Mather had an 
imposing funeral : 
for six ministers 
of Boston bore 
him to his resting- 
place in Copp's 
Hill B u r \' i n g- 
Ground, and they 

were followed b\' all the officers, scholars, and principal citizens 
of the town. 

The people of Boston never forgot the liberties they enjo^•ed 
under the old Charter, in the da^'s of Winthrop : and when tlie 
" mother countrv,*' as England was called, began to treat them 
unjustly they were very restive. Samuel xVdams, a true patriot, 




OLD I'kDVIN'CK. HOLSE. 



40 STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 

was boldly eloquent in speaking against their wrongs ; and when 
the English Parliament passed the ''Stamp Act," requiring gov- 
ernment stamps on all public documents, he publicly denounced 
the wrong from the balcony of the Old State House. He denied 
that Parliament had any right to tax a people who were not 
represented in that bod^^ 

Not long after, Patrick Henry, another noted patriot, made 
a speech in which he took the same ground. But the efforts 
of the people of Boston to get rid of the " Stamp Act" were of 
no avail; for on the iid of March, 1765, the king signed the 
Act. 

Parliament passed other obnoxious measures, and tlie people 
grew more and more indignant. There was a bitter feeling 
against the officers who had been appointed to serve the " Stamp 
Act," especially against Andrew Oliver, who was the Stamp 
distributer. The people determined to show this feeling in 
some way ; so on the morning of the fourteenth of August, an 
effigy of Oliver was found hanging from an elm-tree near the 
head of Essex Street. At his side was a large boot, from which 
a hideous figure was peeping, which was meant to represent 
Lord Bute, who was belie\-ed to be the originator of the Act. 

The sheriff ordered the effigy taken down, but the people 
w^ere in no haste to obe}' him. It was kept there all day ; and 
then a procession carried it into the Old State House, directly 
under the Council Chamber, where the governor and other offi- 
cers of the crown were assembled. It was a daring act of the 
leaders of this procession, to take the effig}' of an officer whom 
their rulers had appointed, almost into their very presence. It 
certainlv proved how fearless these people were in their resist- 
ance to tyranny ; that, however willing they might be to ^aeld 
to other demands, they would never submit to the requirements 
of the Stamp Act. 



BOSTON UNDEK THE ROYAf. (;0\-F.RNORS. 



41 




VIA) SI A IE HOUSE. 



42 STORIES OF THE OLD Bx\Y STATE. 



CHAPTER IV 



THE BOSTON MASSACRE. 



The public indignation against the king and his ministers 
grew every day more bitter as time went on. Boston was so thor- 
oughly opposed to all their oppressive measures that Lieutenant- 
Governor Hutchinson declared it to be the " chief seat of the 
opposition.". The people denied that the English government 
had the ritjht to tax them at all, and were determined to assert 
that belief in every possible way. 

One dav in September, 1768, an officer from Halifax ap- 
peared in town, and began looking about for a suitable place 
wherein to quarter soldiers. A convention was held in Faneuil 
Hall, in which all the towns in the Province were represented. 
They again declared their lovalt\' to the king, and their dislike 
of any disorder or rioting : but thev demanded certain rights, 
and hoped the wrongs under which thev suffered might be soon 
redressed by their " gracious sovereign." 

On the verv next dav, September 30, several ships of war 
sailed into Boston harbor with loaded cannon, as though war 
had alreadv begun. The dav after two regiments of soldiers, 
with a train of artillerv and two cannon, were landed at Long 
Wharf. Thev marched up King Street, witli military pomp 
and flying colors, to the sound of martial music. They were 
lodged for a time in Faneuil Hall, in public buildings, and in 
private storehouses, as there was found room. 

At first all was comparativelv quiet, but the ^'ery sight of a 



THE BOSTON MASSACRE. 



43 




44 



STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 



redcoat was obnoxious to the citizens. The soldiers grew more 
insolent, and soon not a dav passed without some outrage being 
committed. Men were liable to be assaulted and knocked down 
as they were passing through the streets at night, and even 
women were insulted in the daytime. 

When the General Court came together in May, 1769, they 
were indignant to find the building where they met surrounded 
b}^ troops. James Otis arose, and made a motion that the gov- 
ernor be called upon to remove them. The motion was carried, 




OLD LIBERTY TREE. 



and the message sent ; but the governor refused their demand, 
denying that he had any control over the troops. The members 
of the Court were so indignant at this action, that they refused 
to transact any more business that day. 

Governor Bernard, who was an unpopular magistrate, was 
in office at that time ; and a great deal of the trouble in the col- 
onies was laid to his injudicious conduct. As one historian as- 
serts, "He had education, refinement, and good taste: but he 
did not know how to govern Massachusetts in a way that would 
please her citizens." He was soon after this removed from 



THE BOSTON MAS6ACRE. 45 

office ; and the people were so iijlad to see the hist of him that 
bells were rung, cannons tired, and a huge bonhre kindled upon 
Fort Hill. The Liberty Tree was also profusely adorned, and 
the day was one of great rejoicing. 

The populace of Boston did their share in creating trouble 
between themselves and the troops, for it is said, " they often 
goaded them beyond endurance." A large number of the citi- 
zens showed their patriotism by signing an agreement not to 
import any more goods from England. 

A man by the name of Lillie had been accused of breaking 
this agreement, and some boys took it upon themselves to reprove 
him. On February 22, 1770, having drawai upon a board the 
faces of four other men who were also suspected, they set it up 
in a conspicuous place against Lillie's shop. It stood then upon 
Hanover Street, near the church which had a gilded cock 
mounted upon its spire. A Mr. Richardson, who was passing 
at the time, and who was probably a sympathizer with Lillie in 
his views, tried to induce some countrymen to remove the board 
by driving against it with their teams. The boys resented this ; 
and, turning upon Mr. Richardson, they pelted him with stones. 
It is said that he took refuge within his house, and from there 
fired upon the crowd that had by this time gathered. Two boys 
were wounded ; and one of them, a lad eleven years of age, 
named Christopher Schneider, died of his wounds the next 
day. 

This was the tirst blood shed in Boston, in connection with 
the political troubles of the times : and it was made the most of 
by the opposers of the royal government. The remains of the 
boy were carried in his coffin to the Libert}' Tree, on the day of 
his funeral. Six of his playmates served as pall-bearers, and a 
company of four hundred of his schoolmates marched in front 
of the funeral procession. More than a thousand citizens fol- 



46 



STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 



lowed on foot, and a long array of carriages brought up the 
rear. 

As has been said, troubles between the inhabitants and the 
soldiers were of daily occurrence. One of their barracks was 
on Brattle Street, near where the old church stood ; another was 

just opposite the 
Town House door, 
and as sentinels 
were placed at 
these points, there 
wasf requent cause 
for irritation. 

At length, on the 
third of March, 
the officer in com- 
mand of the twen- 
^ ty-ninth regiment 
made a complaint 
to the governor on 
account of insults 
which his men re- 
ceived. He com- 
plained especially 
of some men em- 
ploved in the rope- 
w a 1 k , who had 
been \ery insult- 
ing. On the tifth of March, the governor brought this matter 
before his council. One of the members assured him that the 
citizens of Boston had been consulting together how the}' might 
get rid of these troops, and all of the council were of the opinion 
that nothing less than their removal would satisfy the people. 




p'lRST TOWN HOUSE. 



THE BOSTON' MASSACRE. 



47 



Towards evening on this same day there was an unusual 
stir in the streets ; and when at eight o'clock an alarm bell w^as 
rung, an immense crowd collected in the vicinity of King Street. 
The soldiers came out, with their weapons loaded, and stood 
before this crowd, who jeered them and dared them to fire. 
There was such a din that orders were confusing : and whether 
obeying instructions, or acting on their own responsibility, is not 
known, but it is certain that 
the soldiers fired upon the 
crowd, and three men, Crispus 
Attucks, Samuel Gray, and 
James Caldwell, a sailor, were 
killed. Two more were fatally 
wounded, while six others were 
badly hurt. The wildest ex- 
citement followed this event ; 
and the crowd would not leave 
the spot until Captain Preston, 
who was in command of the 
soldiers, had been arrested. 

A large public meeting was 
held next day in Faneuil Hall. 
Those who had been eyewit- 
nesses of tiie scene in King Street gave an account of the affray, 
and Samuel Adams made one of his stirring addresses. 

A committee was then chosen to wait upon the governor, and 
assure him that peace would never reign again in Boston until 
the troops were removed. It was considered such a crisis in 
their affairs that the citizens appointed another meeting at three 
o'clock in the afternoon. When the hour arri\'ed it was found 
that the crowds w^hich surged around old Faneuil Hall could 
never gain admittance, and the meeting was adjourned to the 




SAMTEL ADAMS. 



48 STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 

Old South Church. The result of the interview with Lieutenant 
Governor Hutchinson was that one of the regiments was to be 
removed ; and Samuel Adams, who was the bearer of the mes- 
sage to the chairman of the meeting, whispered on his way 
through the crowd, " Both regiments or none." 

When it was announced that the twenty-ninth regiment, 
which had been concerned in the affray, was to be removed, 
but that the other would remain, the people, who had taken the 
whispered hint of Adams, cried out, " Both regiments or none ; " 
" Both regiments or none." 

Another committee was chosen, composed of Hancock, 
Adams, and Joseph Warren, to report this demand of the peo- 
ple to Hutchinson. Adams, who was at the head of this com- 
mittee, addressed him in these eloquent words: "A multitude 
highly incensed now await the result of this application. The 
voice of ten thousand freemen demands that both regiments be 
forthwith removed. Their voice must be respected, their de- 
mand obeved. Fail not then at your peril, to comply with this 
requisition. On vou alone rests the responsibility of this decis- 
ion ; and if the just expectations of the people are disappointed, 
you must be answerable to God and your country, for the fatal 
consequences that must ensue."' 

The governor was highly indignant that Adams should dare 
to address him thus, and gave him an absolute refusal. The 
lieutenant-colonel, however, solemnly gave his word as a sol- 
dier that all of the troops should be removed without delay. 
The committee were glad to carry back this news to the crowded 
meeting that so anxiously awaited their coming. 

They were unwilling to trust too much to this promise, and 
were cautious enough to appoint the same men who had just 
served them, as a " Committee of Safety" for the future. They 
also appointed certain of their fellow-townsmen to serve as a 



THE BOSTON MASSACRE. 



49 




CRISPUS ATTUCKS MONUMENT. 



night guard, and arranged that some of their foremost men 
should carry arms constantly. This they did until all of the 
hated soldiers had left the town. 

On the 8th of March, the funerals of the men slain in 
King Street took place, with a great deal of pomp and display. 



50 STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 

Immense crowds assembled in the streets : and not only were 
the bells on the churches in Boston tolled, bu! also those in 
Cambridge, Roxburv, and Charlestown. The funeral ser- 
vices of Attucks and Caldwell were held in Faneuil Hall, and 
those of Gra}' and Maverick at their homes. The four hearses 
conveying their bodies met at a certain point in King Street, 
and thence were taken to the Granary Burying-Ground, where 
they were all interred in one grave. 

Upon the tirst anniversary of this tragedy, the citizens ob- 
served it by gathering in a house which had been refused to 
Hutchinson for the lodging of the troops. They thought it 
fitting that the spot which marked their first opposition to the 
soldiers should be the place for celebrating the disturbance 
caused by them. Appropriate speeches were made at this meet- 
ing, and the occasion was improved to incite the people anew 
to resist unjust authority. 

In the evening there was a private celebration. Paul 
Revere, one of the foremost patriots of his time, illuminated his 
house in North Square, and hung pictures in the windows. 
One of these represented the scene on King Street ; and the 
other was a fanciful picture of the ghost of young Schneider, 
which must have been a most dismal specimen of art. 

It was a mournful celebration at the best, and was made 
more so bv the solemn tolling of the bells on all the churches, 
from nine until ten o'clock. One of the martyrs, as those who 
fell on that 5th of March, 1770, are sometimes called, was 
Crispus Attucks, a mulatto. He has been honored by the cit}- 
where he met such a tragic death by the erection of a statue to 
his memorv on Boston Common. This event was given the 
name of the " Boston Massacre : "" and the day of its occurrence 
was kept as a solemn anniversar\- by the people, until the Fourth 
of Julv became the dav of all others for patriotic observance. 



THE BOSTON TEA PARTY, AND WHAT CAME OF IT. 5 I 



CHAPTER V. 

THE BOSTON TEA PARTY, AND WHAT CAME OF IT. * 

In consequence of the affray in Boston between the inhab- 
itants and the soldiers on the 5th of March, 1770, the king de- 
termined to make the harbor of that place a station for all the 
war vessels which were destined for his North American colo- 
nies. He also ordered that, instead of the soldiers of the Prov- 
ince forming a garrison at the Castle, his own troops should be 
quartered there, and should perform that duty. 

Hutchinson was the lieutenant-governor during Governor 
Bernard's term of office, and he was desirous of being appointed 
Bernard's successor ; so when these orders of the king came, he 
hastened to give up the keys of the Castle to the king's otficers. 
He thought by this conduct to gain the favor of the king, and 
he succeeded in doing so ; but it had the opposite effect upon the 
people, wJio were more than ever incensed against him. They 
felt it was only another measure to deprive them of their liber- 
ties ; and not only Boston, but the whole Province of Massachu- 
setts, was filled with indignation. 

When Hutchinson received the commission of governor, 
which came a few weeks later, he was informed that his salary 
w^ould come directly from the king, and not be paid by the Prov- 
ince as heretofore. This the people thought was another step 
in the wa-ong direction. It looked to them as if the king had 
hired a governor, and was paying him out of his own funds, 
that he might rule o\'er tliem like a despot. 



52 STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 

When, in August, 1771, a fleet of twelve vessels of war 
sailed into Boston harbor, it served still further to increase the 
ill feeling. Samuel Adams assured the people that thev were 
indeed threatened with " slavery," and his eloquent words stirred 
the patriots of the time to stand firm against any more aggressive 
measures in the future. 

Hutchinson sent over to the king a favorable account of the 
feeling of the colonies, and, though his majesty was informed 
to the contrarv, he preferred to believe the governor ; and so it 
happened that both the king and his ministers were willfully 
ignorant, in a great measure, of the real opinions of the people. 

Samuel Adams had long desired a union of all the American 
colonies, and he felt that the time had now come to endeavor to 
form one if possible. He thought he would begin cautiously by 
flrst getting the opinion of the different towns in Massachusetts. 
At an important meeting held in Faneuil Hall on November 
20th, a committee was chosen to prepare a letter, stating both 
their rights and grievances ; and this letter was to be sent to all 
the other towns in the Province. They asked, the citizens of 
each town in return to fully express their sentiments in regard 
to the matter. Six hundred of these letters were sent. It was 
looked upon as a foolish measure by the "Tories," a name by 
which those who favored the king were then called. These 
people even made fun of the whole thing ; but when they found 
that nearly everv town not only favored the proposal, but had 
actually adopted it, they began to think it was indeed nothing 
to laugh at. 

The governor was among those who thought it ludicrous ; 
and, as he savs in his own \vritings, he was " greatly perplexed 
with doubt concerning his own conduct on the occasion." He 
also said that if this measure were really carried out, it would 
cause, " not a return of the colonies to their former submission, 



THE BOSTON TKA PARTY, AND WHAT CAMK OF IT. 



53 



f 



but a total separation from the kingdom, by their indepen- 
dency." 

The idea of the union of the colonies seemed to be spreading. 
The patriots of Virginia, under the lead of Patrick Henry and 
others, proposed that 
there should be a cor- 
respondence kept up 
amongf the colonies 
in regard to their 
mutual interests. 
This plan was adopt- 
ed not loner after : 
and from that time 
on a constant patri- 
otic correspondence 
was maintained, not 
only with the towns 
in Massachusetts, 
but also with all the 
thirteen colonies. 

The refusal of 
the people of Boston 
and of other places 
to purchase tea, 
made the East India 
Company greatly [ ^ 
perplexed as to how 
to dispose of the large 

quantity they had on hand. They had persuaded Parliament to 
remove the tax upon it, and allow it to be shipped to America free 
of duty. Thev thought that bv doing this the colonists would 
be glad to buv the tea, but they were again to be disappointed. 




IF LIBKRTY. 



54 



STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 



The report that a number of vessels laden with tea were on 
their way caused intense excitement in Boston. At last, on the 
28th of November, 1773, which happened to be on Sunday, it 
was reported that the Dartmouth, the first of the fleet to arrive, 

had entered the har- 
bor. The next morn- 
ing a meeting was 
held in Faneuil Hall, 
which had so often 
opened its doors in 
the sacred cause that 
it had come to be 
called the "Cradle 
of Liberty." As often 
before, the crowds who 
wished to enter were 
unable to find even 
standing-room, and 
the meeting was ad- 
journed to the Old 
South Church. 

A motion was 
made by Samuel Ad- 
ams that the tea 
should not be landed, 
and was carried by a 
unanimous vote. The 
governor sent a messenger to the meeting ordering them to stop 
all such proceedings ; but they paid no attention to his commands, 
and, amid the hisses of the crowd, the sheriff was obliged to retire. 
In this meeting it was also resolved that any one who should 
import tea into the country should be considered its enemy. 




THE OLD SOUTH CHURCH. 



THE BOSTON' ♦T.A PARTY, AND WHAT CAMK OF IT. 55 

There was another meeting hehl in the same place on the 
i6th of December. It was tek that some notable event -was 
about to occur; and it is said that, besides the crowds inside, 
more than seven thousand people had gathered around its doors. 

They had before notihed the importer of the tea that he must 
apply to the collector of the port for a permit ior his vessel to 
lea\e with her cargo. In a short time he appeared in the meet- 
ing with the news that the collector had refused his request. 
Thev then informed him- that he must get a pass from the gov- 
ernor to take his vessel at least past the Castle. x\s the gover- 
nor lived in Milton, the importer had a long cold ride out there ; 
and he succeeded no better with him than with the collector. 
When he returned about six o'clock with the answer of the gov- 
ernor, that no pass would be given him, Samuel Adams arose 
in his seat, exclaiming, "This meeting can do nothing more to 
sa\e the countrv. 

Just then a great shout came from the porch of the meeting- 
house, which was answ^ered by war-whoops ; and a large number 
of men, who had previously entered the house disguised as Mo- 
hawk Indians, rushed hastilv out-of-doors, and ran dow'n as 
fast as possible to Grillin's Wharf, now' Liverpool Wharf, where 
the tea vessels were. These " Mohawks'" sprang on board the 
vessel, and, taking matters into their own hands, began breaking 
up the tea-chests, and pouring their contents into the harbor. 

The work of destruction was quicklv done, and in two or 
three hours there had been thrown overboard three hundred and 
fortv-tw'o chests of valuable tea. The '"Mohawks," as they 
were called, then marched to their homes, to the music of the 
life and drum, having performed a most daring deed, and made 
themselves famous as members of the " Boston Tea Party." 
Paul Revere was one of them, and he carried the news of their 
exploit himself all the way to Philadelphia. 



56 



STORIES OF THE OLD HAV SPATE. 



When the news of this transaction reached Engkind, the 
goveVnment there was much excited. ParHament was in session 
at the time ; and it w'as realized that some measures must be 
quickly taken, or the mother country could no longer control 
the colonies. Boston was denounced as a most unruly city. 

One member said, "The tow'u 
of Boston ought to be knocked 
about their ears, and de- 
stroyed." 

Not all of the English peo- 
ple agreed with Parliament in 
their desire to punish the col- 
onies, and some even ap- 
plauded the stand taken by 
Boston against the measures 
that so oppressed her citizens. 
But the kin<y and Parliament 
were determined to brin^ the 
rebellious city into submission, 
and so an act was passed clos- 
ing that port during the pleas- 
ure of the king. 

Some of the officers of the 
Province, who had before been 
chosen by the General Court, 
were now to be appointed by the king. Even the judges could 
onlv hold office as long as the king pleased to have them. No 
town meetings could be held, and those of their magistrates and 
other officers w^ho were accused of high crimes were to be sent 
over to England or to Nova Scotia for trial. Boston was de- 
graded from being the capital of the Province, and Salem was 
iriven that honor. 




THE BOSTON TEA PARTY. 



THE 150ST0X TEA PARTY, AND WHAT CAMK (JF IT. 



57 



Parliament ihoiighl that, by forcin<^ upon the colonies all 
these harsh measures, their rebellious conduct must surely cease. 
When .the General Court next met, in January, 1774, Governor 
Hutchinson opened it with a speech, which he tried to make as 
pliable as possible. lie nex'er even mentioned the affair of the 
tea ships, but he felt oblis^ed to condemn the committees of cor- 
respondence which, since the 
last session of the Court, had 
been industriously at work. 
Adams, with whom the com- 
mittee scheme originated, re- 
plied to this censure of the 
governor, that there was noth- 
ing at all improper in the col- 
onists corresponding with their 
agents in regard to their af- 
fairs. He said that in this 
way only could they tind out 
and explain their grie\ances 
to the king, and if possible 
persuade him to abate them. 

Before the time for closing 
this session of the General 
Court, the anniversarv of the 
Boston Massacre arrived. 
The meeting that was ahvavs held on that occasion assembled 
tirst in Faneuil Hall: Init as had been the case so manv times 
before, on account of the crowd, it adjourned to the Old South 
Church. 

An unusual interest was felt in the meeting: for John Han- 
cock was to be the speaker, and to make his lirst public address. 
His speech was a great surprise to the assembly, and reflected 




JOHN HANCOCK. 

After a painting by Copley in the Boston 
Museunt of Fitie A rts. 



58 STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 

much honor on their distinguished townsman. It was gi\en 
with the graceful dignity of an accomphshed^ orator, and was a 
fine burst of patriotism. It has been stated that the address was 
not Hancock's composition at all, but that Samuel Adams, who 
acted as moderator of the meeting, was its author. If he was, 
he must have been a willing party to the deception ; for he con- 
sented to become the chairman of tiie committee to thank the 
orator of the day in the name of the citizens of Boston for '•• his 
eloquent and spirited oration."' 

News reached the town on the tenth of May, of the intention 
to close that port as soon as the first of June. A convention of 
the committees of correspondence of the eight towns nearest 
Boston was held two days later, and Lexington and Cambridge 
were represented in the convention. They issued what is called 
a circular letter, informing the people of those towns of what 
Boston \\ as likely to suffer in the near future, and asking them 
to unite with her in opposing all measures against the cause of 
libertv. INIilitarv companies began to be formed, and they 
chose their own officers to command them. A great quantity of 
powder was bought and stored for future use. 

A town meeting was held in Boston, in defiance of tlie new 
law, on the thirteenth of INIav : and it happened that General 
Gage, the new governor appointed b}' the king, arrived on that 
day. On the same date it was voted that the only way to ob- 
tain their liberties was for the colonies to stop at once all exports 
and imports of goods to and from England. Paul Revere was 
chosen as a messenger to carry this resolve to Philadelphia ; and 
as the only mode of travel in those days was either by stage or 
on horseback, he was six days in reaching there. 

On the first day of June a formal closing of the port of 
Boston took place. Governor Hutchinson, who had long since 
lost all control of the colonies, sailed that same morning for 



THE- BOSTON' TI'.A I'AKTV, AXI) WHAT CAiMK OF IT. 59 

England. When at noon the port was dechired closed, the 
bells of the town were tolled, antl signs of mourning displayed 
about the streets. Philadelphia showed her sympathy by stop- 
ping all business, and in Virginia they made tlie day one of 
fasting and prayer. 

The laws were extremely rigid in regard to any vessel enter- 
ing or leaving Boston Harbor ; even the ferr3'-boats between 
Boston and Charlestown were not allowed to run. By this 
measure business was stopped to a certain extent, and many 
people were thrown out of employment. It was very hard on 
the poor sailors, who by this means were made prisoners upon 
the land for an indefinite time. 

As soon as the other colonies heard of the trouble in I^oston 
they not only sent sympathy, but gifts of money and all sorts of 
provisions. South Carolina contributed two hundred barrels 
of rice, and generously promised to make it a thousand if 
needed. Virginia showed her willingness to help by offering a 
hundred and thirty-seven barrels of flour. Towns in Massachu- 
setts vied with each other in sending cattle, sheep, and hsh to 
the distressed town. Salem was quite a nourishing seaport at 
that time ; and all the supplies furnished from outside were sent 
there, and transported to Boston by land. The people of that 
once flourishing port had hard work to realize that in a few 
days they had become as isolated as an inland \illage. 

As Salem had now been made the capital of Massachusetts, 
the next meeting of the General Court was held at that place. 
There were a great man\' delegates, among w hom was Samuel 
Adams, who thought this a litting time in whicii to arrange for 
selecting the delegates to the Congress that was soon to meet in 
Philadelphia. When the hour came for him to reveal his plan, 
he closed and locked the doors, keeping the ke^•s in his own 
possession. He then proceeded to submit resoluti(jns, naming 



6o STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 

the tirst day of September for the meeting of Congress ; the 
place to be decided hereafter, though it would probably be in 
Philadelphia or some other large town. Five delegates were 
chosen to attend it, and an ample sum was voted for their 
expenses. 

While this was going on, one of the members, on the pretense 
of being ill, was permitted to leave, and he directly informed 
the governor of- what was going on. The governor at once sent 
his secretar}^ with a message dissolving the assembly : but as he 
was not able to reach the members tlirough the locked doors, 
he read it to the people outside upon the stairvvav. When 
everything in regard to the Congress had been arranged to his 
liking, Adams opened the doors, and the dismissal of the assem- 
bly took place. Never again in Massachusetts was the General 
Court held under the auspices of a royal governor. 



FIRST RATTLES OF THE AMERICAN KEVOEUTION. 6l 




'"s^iASi^^ 






niK .MlNUrE-MAN. 



62 STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 



CHAPTER VI. . 

I 

FIRST BATTLES OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

The Congress that met in Philadelphia, Sept. 5th, 1774, 
was composed of delegates from all the thirteen colonies ; and 
from that time they were united, not only in the defense of suf- 
fering Boston, but in all measures that were for the common 
good. 

In the meantime the leading men among the Boston patriots 
held a county meeting at Milton, where they passed what were 
called " The Suffolk Resolves."' In them they took a very bold 
stand, declaring that no officer appointed bv Parliament should 
be recognized by them : that hereafter they would pay no money 
into the royal treasury ; that not the king's officers, but friends 
of the people, men chosen by themselves, should be given the 
command of the militia. The\' also agreed that in the future 
they would obey the Continental Congress. 

They appointed couriers to carrv an}' messages that were 
needful; and a copy of the "Resolves" was intrusted to Paul 
Revere, a messenger who had twice served them in this way. 
He carried it to Philadelphia, where the Resolves were received 
with great favor, and soon the whole country was informed of 
the bold step that Boston had taken. 

General Gage thought it was high time to exert the arbitrary 
power given him by the king ; so he began to collect troops, 
get supplies of ammunition, and prepare for the struggle which 
he knew must soon come. He removed a large quantitv of 



FIRST BATTLES OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 63 

powder which had been stored in an old mill on Quarry Hill 
near the Mystic River, and placed it securely in the Castle. On 
the same day he also seized two pieces of cannon in the town of 
Cambridge. This conduct of General Gage exasperated the 
people still more ; and many thousands from all the Middlesex 
towns gathered the next day on Cambridge Common, armed in 
readiness to drive away any of the royal troops that might have 
lingered. So determined were the men to carry some weapon 
that many of them appeared armed with sticks, having nothing 
better. 

As the soldiers had all left, and were safely housed in their 
barracks, these zealous patriots did the next best thing. Thev 
went around among the prominent Tories, and forced them to 
swear not to assist the royal government again in anv of its plans. 

Gage called a meeting of the General Court, and the mem- 
bers presented themselves promptly at the time appointed. 
After a short delay they adjourned to Concord, and there formed 
a new organization under the name of the " Provincial Con- 
gress." During the three weeks of their sessions, thev worked 
with a will, laying plans for providing the town with annnuni- 
tion and other supplies, and organizing a militia. 

General Gage was angry at these proceedings, and tried to 
suppress this congress, but they were not to be disbanded : for 
in spite of his commands, thev met again in No\'ember, and 
their patriotic work went on. Thev formed at that time a 
"Committee of Safety,"' recognizing it as the real government 
of Massachusetts, and giving it power to raise and equip troops, 
purchase supplies, and look out in a general wa\' for the inte- 
rests of the province. Minute-men were enrolled in all the 
towns, both near and remote ; and they were drilled and 
equipped with much care, to serx'e, as their name indicated, 
at a minute's notice. 



64 



STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 



The next Provincial Congress was held in February, 1775, 
at Cambridge ; and John Hancock was elected its president. It 
went on and transacted the usual business that had formerly 
been done by the General Court, and Governor Gage found 
himself powerless to resist it. It appointed officers to com- 
mand the army of minute-men, and appropriated nionev from 




INTERIOR OF OLD SOUTH. 



the public treasurv for procuring arms. As it wished to be 
well represented at the Continental Congress, it chose at this 
time Samuel and John Adams, John Hancock, Robert Treat 
Paine, and Thomas Cushing as delegates. 

When the anniversarv of the Boston Massacre, on the 5th 
of March, came around, a meeting to celebrate it was held as 
usual in the Old South Church. Dr. Joseph Warren was given, 
at his request, the privilege of delivering the oration. As the 



FIRST BATTLES OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 65 

city was full of hostile regiments of soldiers, it was a brave act 
in Warren to stand boldly forth, and speak words which he 
knew miijht cause a tumult or a forcible closinii of the meetin";. 

In fact, a plan to assault him in a mean way had been 
arranged. Some of the principal rebel leaders, known to be 
present, were to be seized ; and, as a signal for the time of their 
arrest, an ensign was to throw an egg at Warren. Fortunately 
for the safety of these patriots, the man received a fall on his 
way to the meeting, not onh' breaking the egg, but dislocating 
his knee. x\lthough Warren had to reach his place in the pul- 
pit by climbing in at the window behind it, and was hourly in 
danger, yet he managed to tinish his oration without receiving 
any harm. 

The movements of the British troops had been closely 
watched during the winter, especially at night ; and thirty men 
had been appointed to patrol the streets, two at a time, after 
dark. On the night of the eighteenth of April, there was a 
movement of the troops which excited the suspicions of the men 
on watch. The soldiers left their barracks ; and, marching to 
a spot not far from the foot of Boston Common, Uiey entered 
boats that had been provided to transport them across the water. 
Thence the}' were to march to Lexington and Concord for the 
seizure of military stores in those towns. 

General Gage intended to keep the matter a profound secret, 
but it leaked out in some way ; and word of this movement was 
sent in all haste to Warren. He forthwith sent William Dawes 
to notify Hancock and Adams, who were in Lexington at the 
time. Dawes started on his mission as soon as possible, passing 
out of the cit}' over Boston Neck and through Roxbury. 

Warren also sent for Paul Revere, who was a member of 
the club of thirty patrolmen, and begged him to go to Lexing- 
ton on the same errand. Revere had alreadv concerted with 



66 



STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 



friends in Charlestown, that should the British troops leave 
Boston by land, they should place one lante'rn in the belfry of 




CHRIST CHURCH. 

Christ Church ; ^ and if they left by water, two lanterns should 

1 It yet remains a disputed point, whether this or the Old North Church was the one used, 



but a tablet on Christ Church attributes it to that. 



FIRST BATTLES OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 



^7 



be hung there. This signal had informed the Charlestown 
people of the news before Paul Revere arrived. Mounting a 
swift horse, which his friends had provided for him, he gal- 
loped away upon his mission with all speed. 

Revere was joined by William Dawes, and both of them 
were nearly captured at Charlestown Neck by a guard on dutv 
there. They both es- 
caped, however, riding r^ 
all the faster for their de- 
lay, and spreading the 
alarm that the British 
were coming. Thev ar- 
rived at Lexington about 
midnight, and the news 
they brought quicklv flew 
through the town. I n 
order to spread the alarm, 
bells were rung, g.uns 
fired, and drums beaten ; 
and by daylight a hun- 
dred men had collected 
on the green, armed with 
muskets. 

In the meantime Ma- 
jor Pitcairn, the British 
commander, was rapidly 
approaching. His regu- 
lars in their scarlet uni- 
forms made a line show, and appeared in force, as they halted by 
the meeting-house near the green. The militia stood lirm, obey- 
ing strictly their orders not to fire until themselves fired upon ; 
and for a time neither partv seemed willing to be the aggressor. 




PAUL REVF.RE. 
From Crayon by Fevret de St.-Mhiiin. 



68 



STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 




FIRST BATTLES OF THP: AMERICAN' REVOLUTION. 69 

Major Pitcairn and two other mounted officers advanced in 
front of the troops ; and one of them, generallv said to be Major 
Pitcairn, shouted : " Disperse, ye vilhiins I Lav down vourarms ! 
Disperse ye rebels, disperse !" Not being instantlv obeved, Pit- 
cairn wheeled his iiorse, and, waving his sword, gave orders to 
liis troops to press forward and surround the minute-men. Just 
then random shots were fired by the British without doing any 
'damage, and this fire was returned by the Americans. 

A general discharge of musketry by the troops followed with 
fatal effects ; several of the militia were killed, and the rest, by 
command of Captain Parker, turned to disperse. Several more 
were killed wdiile retreating, and their comrades in return fired 
at the enemy from behind stone walls and buildings. Three 
British soldiers were wounded, and eight x\mericans were killed. 
Four of them fell upon the spot where the monument now stands, 
and four while making their escape over fences. The regulars, 
having been joined by Colonel Smith, then pressed on in the 
direction of Concord. 

Word had been previously sent there, and the alarm given 
bv the ringing of bells. When they heard the firinji: of the jjuns 
at Lexington, the Committee of Safety and the principal citizens 
began to arrange for the reception of the regulars. The militia 
of the town were called out under their leader. Colonel James 
Barrett ; and the whole male population and some of the women 
set to work to remove the military stores to a place of safety in 
the woods. 

By this time the militia of Lincoln and other towns had ar- 
rived, and these repaired to the common. Guards were placed 
at the north and south bridges over the Concord River, and 
in the center of the town. /Vbout seven o'clock in the morning 
the British column was seen advancin<j on the Lexington road. 
Some wished to make a stand there : but as the enemv seemed 



70 STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 

three times as large as the miHtia, they conchided to wait for 
reenforcements, and retreated over the bridge. 

The British troops marched into the town, and began their 
work of destruction. They broke open sixty barrels of flour, 
half of which they destroyed. The}- mutilated three cannon, 
and burned up a large number of carnage wheels, and barrels 
tilled with trenchers and other articles of wooden ware for the use 
of the men. They also cut down the liberty pole and burned 
that, and threw hve hundred pounds of balls into the mill-pond 
near, and into the town wells. The loss of the balls was a severe 
one, on account of the scarcity of ammunition. 

By this time the people were thoroughly aroused, and the 
militia of Concord and the adjoining towns rallied to the number 
of three hundred. A guard of a hundred men had been sent 
by the British to hold the North Bridge, and when they saw the 
columns of minute-men advancing in that direction they became 
alarmed. i\s at Lexington, the militia were ordered not to be 
the hrst to lire, and so two or three volleys had been tired bj- the 
enemy before it was returned by the Americans. 

There was a sharp skirmish at the bridge, and the companies 
of British posted there were forced to lea\'e ; they retreated 
towards their main army in great confusion. Tiiey marched 
about back and forth in an uncertain way for half an hour, and 
then left the town in the same direction whence they had come. 
A party of minute-men, in anticipation of this retreat, had gone 
forward b}' another way ; and now, as the demoralized soldiers 
wended their way back to Boston, the patriots, under cover of 
fences and stone walls, tired upon them, killing and wounding 
a large number. 

Patriot blood had now been shed in two encounters, in both 
of which the British troops were the aggressors, and the Ameri- 
can Revolution had fairly begun. 



FIRST BATTLES OF THE AMERICAN' REVOLUTION. 



71 




72 STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 



CHAPTER VII. 



THE EVACUATION OF BOSTON. 



It was felt by the Provincials that now there could be no 
retreat from their position. War had begun, and they must 
bend all their energies towards carr3'ing it on to a successful 
issue if possible. Recruiting for the army went on rapidly ; and 
by the middle of June, 1775, there was a force of fifteen thou- 
sand men, under the command of General Artemas Ward. 

Boston was declared in a state of siege, and on the 12th of 
June martial law was proclaimed by the British authorities. A 
pardon was offered to all who would lay down their arms, with 
the exception of Samuel Adams and John Hancock. These 
two men were such noted rebels that no mercy was to be shown 
them. 

Fearing that the British might march out of Boston at any 
time, it was determined by the Provincials to build fortifications 
at different points to prevent any such movement. On the i6th 
of June thev began throwing up a breastwork upon Breed's Hill, 
under the command of Colonel William Prescott. It was not 
commenced until late in the evening ; but they worked so quickly 
that at sunrise they had quite a formidable redoubt completed, 
eight rods square. 

General Gage resolved to attack this at once, and so ordered 
over some of his best trooj^, two thousand in number. He had 
erected a batterv upon Copp's Hill ; and his own headquarters 
were in a dwelling-house on Hull Street, which is still standing. 



THE EVACUATION OF BOSTON. 



73 



The troops were conveyed from the foot of the hill over to 
Charlestown in boats. They felt themselves so superior to the 
untrained soldiers of the patriots, that they probably expected 
an easy victor}-. But the battle of Bunker Hill proved a des- 
perate one ; and the patriot army stood their ground bravely 
until the failure of their powder, which obliired them to retreat. 




battlp: of bunker hili,. 

From Pahitiiig by TritmbuU, 7io~u at Vale CoUe§;e, New Haven, Coun. 

They lost a great many men : and Warren, one of their bravest 
leaders, fell at his post while urging on his men to tight for 
their libertv. 

The news of this battle, on the 17th of June, 1776, spread 
like wildfire through the land, and was regarded everywhere in 
the light of a victorv, inasmuch as lack of ammunition, and not 
of men or valor, was the cause of their retreat. The loss of the 
British was heavv, especiallv among their officers : and Major 



74 



STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 



Pitcairn, who led their forces at Lexington and Concord, was 
among the slain. In retaliation for these losses, the battery 
upon Copp's Hill opened lire upon Charlestown, and ere long 
the shells had set the town in a blaze. All the public buildings, 
besides nearly four hundred dwelling houses, were destroyed 

by the flames. 

Boston was still 
closely besieged, 
and began to be in 
great distress from 
lack of proyisions 
and tlie common 
comforts of life. 
The warm weather 
had come, and the 
inhabitants were so 
shut in that the place 
was becoming un- 
healthy. They 
lived a great deal 
upon pork and 
beans, and the fish 
that they were en- 
abled to catch. 

The British 
seized upon all the finest houses for their own use ; and the Old 
South Churcli was occupied by them for a riding school, and for 
the stabliuii of their horses. Some of the other churches fared 
no better, for they were turned into barracks for the soldiers. 
The Old North Church was actually torn down to furnish fire- 
wood for these Goths and Vandals of their time : and it is known 
that John Winthrop's old house met with the same fate. 




THE "WASHINGTON ELM," CAMBRIDGE. 



THE EVACUATION OF BOSTON. 75 

On the 3d of July, Washington took formal command of the 
American army, under a wide spreading elm near Cambridge 
common, and established his headquarters in that town. He 
began to put his army, which as yet was untrained, under strict 
militar}' discipline. He also blockaded Boston as completely as 
he could, and began to consider plans for its capture. 

There was not much accomplished by either army during 
the winter that followed, but of course Washington was on the 
alert for any movement of the enem^' in Boston. While thus 
inactive, the British soldiers had a gay time getting up dramas 
in which they were the actors, in going to balls and parties, and 
enjoying themselves generally. The Tories of the citv, no doubt, 
mingled freely in these festive scenes ; but neither thev nor the 
soldiers had an}- idea how short this time of pleasure would 
prove. 

At length Washington decided to become the aggressor, and 
to make an attack upon the citv as soon as the matter could be 
arranged. One day at a dinner, at which General Israel Put- 
nam was a guest of Washington, the latter spoke of his inten- 
tions with regard to Boston, and asked the general if he could 
make any suggestions about building fortitications. Putnam 
promised to consider tiie matter ; and Washington felt hopeful 
that this old veteran of the French and Indian war, himself a 
skillful engineer, might aid him. 

On his way back to his quarters. General Putnam, in com- 
panv with a friend, chanced to pass near the house of General 
Heath; and he proposed that thev should both make a call on 
their old acquaintance. While there, Putnam noticed upon the 
table a book on Field Engineering, and he asked General Heath 
to lend it to him. This the latter positively refused to do at first ; 
but, after some persuasion, he was induced to yield, and Putnam 
bore off the book in triumph. That was certainly a provi- 



76 



STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 



dential call ; for in this volume Putnam learned of a way to make 
the framework of movable wooden fortifications, that could be 
rapidly constructed and set up. He hastened to inform Wash- 




John TrutiibiiU. 



ington of his discovery ; and the latter at once decided to adopt 
the plan, for he saw in it a solution of the problem as to what 
kind of fortification it was possible for them to build. 



THK EVACUATION OF BOSTON. 77 

Men were set to work at once to fell trees and prepare tim- 
ber for these works ; and Washington at length decided to erect 
them upon Dorchester Heights. Batteries had already been 
erected at Lechmere's Point in Cambridge, and at Roxbury, 
and other points. As Washington wished to keep his plans se- 
cret in regard to Dorchester Heights, he determined to divert 
attention from that point by opening hre upon the city from 
these other batteries. A tierce cannonade was begun from these 
different points, and bombs fell in all parts of the city. They 
set lire to the buildings in many places, and the soldiers were 
kept constantly busy in putting out the flames. This attack 
from the batteries at Lechmere's Point and Roxbury occurred 
on the 2d and 3d of March, and Washington decided upon the 
night of the 4th as the time for carrying out his plans. 

A force of four thousand men w^orked like beavers all night 
upon the construction of the wooden fortifications, which had 
already been prepared for mo\ing to the Heights. Three hun- 
dred and seventy teams were employed for this work ; and each 
of them carried three loads apiece during the night. In order 
to deaden the sound of these carts, straw w^as thickly spread 
upon the road ; and the wheels were bound with wisps of the same 
material, so that no noise might be heard. The work went on 
unhindered ; and in the morning, when the fog cleared away, the 
British were amazed to find two strong-looking forts and a long 
series of fortifications confronting them from Dorchester Heights. 

General Howe, who was in command of the British forces, 
was astonished at the speed with which the work had been done. 
It would have taken weeks for his armv to perform what these 
Americans had accomplished in one night. The British Ad- 
miral informed Howe that unless those works could be destroyed 
the fleet of vessels in the harbor would be at the mercy of their 
foes, and could no longer remain there. 



7^ STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 

Howe, seeing no other way out of the dilemma, resolved to 
attack them, and laid his plans accordingly. But the weather 
was against him ; for a furious wind sprang up, and Lord Percy, 
who was in command of one detachment, was unable to embark 
his troops. In fact, such violent storms set in that all of Howe's 
plans were completely frustrated. 

Meanwhile, safely behind his fortifications, Washington kept 
on strengthening his works, in spite of the storm. Colonel Mif- 
flin, one of his officers, had even prepared a new kind of weapon 
to repel any who might attempt to scale the heights. He had 
filled a number of hogsheads with sand and stone, and these he 
proposed to roll down upon the advancing enemy. 

Howe was placed in a difficult position ; for there were not 
vessels enough in the fleet to carry away all his troops ; and, if 
he left a part behind, they would be in danger of capture. He 
was forced at last to threaten the destruction of the city, if he 
was not allowed to leave peaceably. So, in order to save Bos- 
ton, Washington granted this request, and gave time for their 
retreat. 

A masquerade had been planned for the evening of the nth 
of March, and ten cooks had been engaged to prepare the dinner. 
It was intended to be the grandest affair that had ever taken 
place in the country ; but of course it never occurred, for festivi- 
ties of all kinds came to an abrupt end. 

Howe's preparations for lea\ing went on rapidly ; and before 
daylight, on the 17th of March, the troops began embarking 
upon their ships. There was considerable havoc and confusion ; 
for some of the soldiers, disobeying orders, became reckless, 
and were guilty of acts of violence. Before noonday, however, 
every redcoat had left, and with them fifteen hundred Tories 
with their families. They had chosen to adhere to the king, 
and now they were obliged to fly with his soldiers. They took 



THE EVACUATION OF BOSTON. 79 

with them whatever valuables they could collect at such short 
notice. It is said that one party among them carried away the 
silver communion service belonging to King's Chapel. 

This retreat of the British and their adherents was in full 
view of Washington, from his position on the Heights ; and 
scarcely had the last soldier embarked, when he entered the 
city with his victorious army. He came in over the Neck, with 
banners flying, his troops keeping step to the music of the fife 
and drum. All along the line he was received with shouts of 
welcome and cheers of rejoicing from the long-suffering people, 
who had seen the last of their enemies, and were overjoyed to 
greet their deliverer. 

The British were obliged, of course, to leave manv valuables 
behind them ; for it was impossible to take either artillery, 
ammunition, or horses. There was no ocean cable in those 
days to telegraph the news ; so a number of vessels, whose 
commanders had not heard of the evacuation of Boston b}' the 
British, entered the harbor soon after, and were captured; the 
soldiers on board being made prisoners. One capture of fifteen 
hundred barrels of powder was worth more to the Americans 
at that time tlian all the rest of the cargoes. There was rejoi- 
cing all over the land that Boston was at last free from tlie mili- 
tary rule of the British, and Congress ordered a medal to be 
struck off in honor of the event. 




A REVOLUTIONARY MISKET. 



8o 



STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



STORY OP^ KL\G PHILIP S WAR. 



This conflict, which lasted for three years, and which caused 
such ruin and destruction among tlie white settlers, forms the 
most dreadful chapter in the history of the New England colo- 
nies. Massasoit, the chief of the Wampanoags, with whom 
the Pilgrims of Plymouth made their treaty, was a brave and 
true man ; and for forty-one years, until his death, he faithfully 
kept it. He lived at Mount Hope, now in the town of Bristol, 
Rhode Island ; and when he died he left two sons, Alexander 
and Philip. 




INDIAN WEAPONS. 



Alexander succeeded his father ; but, as he lived only a few 
months, his brother Philip became the chief of the tribe. He 
was the opposite of his father in character and disposition. 
Massasoit was mild and kindly disposed ; and it is said that, 
onlv a short time before his death, he took both of his sons into 
the presence of some of his English neighbors, and there told 
them of his desire — that there might always be peacefid 
relations between them. 

For eight or nine years after his father's death, Philip 



STORY OF KING PHILIPS WAR. 



8l 



conducted himself in such a manner as to cause the settlers 
little trouble. But, as he gradually became the owner of En<r- 
lish tirearms, and found himself in friendly relations with the 
powerful Narragansetts, he began to plot mischief against 
the whites. He saw how^ rapidly they were spreading over the 
country ; and probably he foresaw that there was danger of 
the Indians losing all control of their land. He was bold and 
ambitious; and, caring 
nothing for treaties, he ac- 
tually formed the wicked 
scheme of utterly destroy- 
ing all the English settle- 
ments in New England. 

During the year 1670 
the people of Plymouth 
thought the Indians were 
behaving in a suspicious 
manner. They met to- 
gether frequently for a 
powwow ; and were often 
found busy cleaning their 
firearms and grinding their 
hatchets. They occasion- 
ally insulted their white neighbors, and the Plymouth Colony 
thought it w^as time to inquire into the matter. They sent word 
to the Massachusetts Colony of their suspicions : and they sent 
on some men, who, with two or three from Plymouth, made 
a visit to Philip, They found it hard to obtain a conference 
with him ; and, when they did, he tried in every way to evade 
the truth. But he did confess at last what his plans were: and 
they made him deli\'er to them the sevent}' English muskets he 
owned, and forced him to sign a new promise not to molest them. 




Ki\(; I'll IMP. 

After ait old auonyinoiis frint. 



82 STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 

He kept his faith only a little while, however, and when 
they sent for him not long after to come to Plymouth he refused. 
That colony wanted to attack Philip at once, and stop his evil 
designs ; but their friends in Boston \tere not willing, and 
thought there was no immediate cause for alarm. The sly 
Philip took advantage of the reluctance of the Massachusetts 
Colony to act against him ; and, when he next went to Boston, 
he gave such a favorable account of his relations with the 
whites that the people were completely deceived. 

Very soon Philip actually signed another agreement, pledg- 
ing good faith to the Plymouth government, and promising to 
repair wrongs. But the wily savage only did this to deceive the 
whites ; for he went right on with his scheme for uniting all the 
Indian tribes against them. The Nonotucks on the banks of 
the Connecticut were aware of the plot ; and the Narragansetts, a 
numerous and powerful tribe, were willing to furnish four thou- 
sand men. The most friendly Indians, even, were disaffected; 
but the Mohegans were true to their pledges of friendship. 

Sometimes the deepest laid plans of the shrewdest of plotters 
go wrong, and they did in the case of Philip. It was his inten- 
tion not to begin the war until after two or three years of 
preparation, but as it happened there came a sudden outbreak. 
There was a praying Indian by the name of John Sausamun, 
who was one of John Eliot's converts at Natick. He had fled 
to Philip once when in trouble ; and that chief, thinking that he 
would be useful to him, kept him as a sort of confidential friend 
for some years. After awhile Sausamun's Natick friends per- 
suaded him to return to them ; and, in course of time, from his 
mingling with some of Philip's Indians, he learned about the 
plots they were forming, and he hastened to tell his white 
friends of his discovery. 

But the poor fellow lost his life for his fidelity, for he was 



STORY OF KING I'HILIp's WAK. 83 

murdered by tlie command of Philip. His murderers, how- 
ever, were soon arrested by the Plymouth authorities, and hung 
for their crime. This made Philip so angry that he began the 
war which he had planned, but which he was ill-prepared to 
carry on at that time. 

His tirst hostile act was to enter Swansea, a town near 
Plymouth, and kill the cattle of the settlers, and plunder their 
homes. Then, on the 24th of June, 1675, he \isited Swansea 
again, and murdered several of the inhabitants. Word was 
hastily sent to Boston, and a volunteer company of one hundred 
and ten men was dispatched from there. Meeting the men from 
Plvmouth at Swansea, they had a skirmish with the Indians, 
and half a dozen Indians were killed. This was unexpected 
bad luck for Philip, and he retreated to Mount Hope with his 
remaining force. 

The Indians all over the country were surprised at this sud- 
den breaking out of the war, and were not at all prepared for it. 
Some of them hesitated about joining Philip, as they had prom- 
ised ; but gradually the spirit of war spread from tribe to tribe, 
and there were outbreaks in many places. 

The people of Brookiield were one day surprised by an 
attack of Indians: and they all fled to a house that had been 
somewhat fortified. They had scarcely entered when the sav- 
ages were upon them ; and, tiring from the loop-holes in the 
house, thev killed many of their dusky enemies. While this 
was going on, the other savages were burning the houses and 
barns, and yelling like demons over their work. They were 
determined, if possible, to set fire to the fordfied house, and 
burn all the people in it. For this purpose they fired burning 
arrows, and put torches on long poles, and pushed them as near 
the house as possible. Finding that this plan failed, they took 
a cart, and, filling it with combustible material, set it on fire 



84 



STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 



II 



and pushed it up very close to the house. The poor people 
inside thought that they were surely doomed to death ; but a 
providential shower of rain came and put out the fire. 

But the Indians still persisted in 
their tiendish designs ; and so, when 
night came, they stole around to 
the rear of the house, and set tire to 




it there. The inmates were 

then in such danger that the 

men bravely resolved to go 

out to the well and draw 

water with which to quench 

the fire. Though the Indian 

arrows whizzed past them continually w'hile they were doing 

this, none of them were hurt. 



THE ATTACK ON BKOUKFIELD, MASS. 



STORY OF KIXG PIIILIp's WAR. 85 

The Indians, having destroyed the town of Brookfield, retired 
on the 5th of Angust, leaving the survivors among the people 
homeless and destitute. Some of the Indians who were amonp; 
the besiegers, ha\ing been driven off by men who came from 
Springfield and other places to the town's relief, lied to the 
shelter of a sw^amp. There, a short time after, Philip made 
his appearance with forty men and a large number of women 
and children. Of course he was much elated with the story of 
the successful attack upon Brooktield, which the besiegers told 
him. He showed his pleasure at the news by distributing a 
peck of unstrung wampun to three, of the Nipmunch chiefs 
in whose countr}^ tJ^ey \vere encamped. 

Philip at that time was not well supplied with men. When 
he set out from Mount Hope he had an army of two hundred 
and hfty ; but many of them had been killed and others had 
deserted him, so that now he had only forty men left. But he 
was determined to keep on with his bloody w'ork, and sudden 
attacks were made upon the whites in every direction. The 
Indians' favorite method of warfare was to conceal themselves, 
or lie in ambush, as it is called, and then suddenly to spring out 
upon their victims. 

Captain Beers at one time started off with thirty-six mounted 
men to carry provisions to the garrison and settlers at North- 
field ; and, as their way lav through a dense forest, it was 
difficult to make progress. They had arrived quite near their 
journey's end, and were hoping soon to reach Northtield, when, 
in crossing a ravine, they came upon an ambuscade. The 
Indians sprang out from their hiding-place, and, firing right and 
left upon the men, killed a large number. The rest of the com- 
pany fled, the Indians pursuing : l)ut Captain Beers bravely 
rallied them on the brow of a hill, not far from where the first 
attack was made, and there he fought them until he fell dead 



86 STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 

himself. The Indians were not contented with killing the 
whites ; but, in this battle, as in many others, they mutilated 
their dead bodies in a shocking manner. 

The town of Deerlield had a dreadful experience during this 
war. Its rich meadows were remarkably fertile ; and, at this 
time, the inhabitants had in the field, and already stacked, 
three thousand bushels of corn. They were afraid their Indian 
enemies might destroy it ; so a company of eighty young soldiers 
from the eastern part of the State, most of them from the county 
of Essex, were sent under the leadership of Captain Lathrop of 
Salem, with a great many teams, to secure the corn. During 
their march no Indians were to be seen ; and, when they had 
loaded their teams, they set out on their return. They had 
reached a place nearly opposite Sugar Loaf Mountain in Deer- 
field, when they stopped to rest. Tradition says they even took 
time to refresh themselves with some wild grapes, that had 
climbed upon the trees near. At all events they were off their 
guard ; and seven hundred Indians, who were concealed behind 
the trees, and among the brush on the side of the brook, sprang 
upon them, and a bloody fight followed. 

It is supposed that Philip was there himself, and that he 
directed the terrible slaughter. The brave Captain Lathrop 
fell early in the action ; and his men, each getting behind a 
tree, tried to defend themselves as well as they could. But the 
Indians soon gained the day, and only a small number of the 
valiant company of young men escaped with their lives. 

When the news reached Deerfield garrison. Captain Mosel}' 
started off with his little company for the scene. They found 
the victorious Indians grouped together, engaged in the dread- 
ful work of stripping the slain and mutilating the bodies of their 
victims. Captain Mosely's men charged upon them, and many 
sought safety in flight. The ammunition of the others failed 



STORY OF KING PHILIp's WAR. ^7 

and they had to retreat. A reenforcement of a hundred white 
men, arriving just then, the victory was made sure, and thus 
ended the most terrible massacre that ever happened in New 
England. 

From this time Philip met with many reverses; and, when 
success no longer attended him in Massachusetts, those of his 
Indian friends who had been his firm allies began to desert him. 
There seemed no security for him in any place, and sometimes 
he narrowly escaped capture. Once he was obliged to flee so 
suddenly that he had to leave his wife and child behind him, 
as well as his wampum. His had become a lost cause; and 
he was driven from place to place as a fugidve, until at last he 
drifted back to the vicinity of his old home on Mount Hope. 

His death occurred in this wise. He had ordered one of 
his own men killed; and the brother of his victim, fearing that 
he might share the same fate, went to Captain Church, who 
was in command of the whites, and offered to lead him to the 
swamp where Philip was encamped. This Indian, whose name 
was Alderman, kept his agreement ; and, led by him, Captain 
Church and his men entered the swamp, and surprised Philip 
there. He tried to escape ; but, as it happened, he was slain by 
the bullets of Alderman, whose brother he had lately killed. 

The dreadful war thus brought to a close was a disastrous 
one to the colonies ; for it cost them six hundred lives, besides 
the loss of thirteen towns and six hundred buildings, most of 
them the dwelling-houses of the people. There was scarcely 
a family in all Massachusetts, or, in fact, throughout New^ Eng- 
land, that did not mourn the loss of some relative killed in King 
Philip's War. 



88 STORIES OF THE OLD ISAV STATE. 



CHAPTER IX. 

STORY OF THE FIRST TOWN F.UILT UPON THE CONNECTICUT 

RIVER. 

As early as 1633 some of the people of Plymouth Colony 
began to have a desire to go farther west ; and so a number of 
men decided to start on an exploring expedition. The}^ were 
led by William Holmes, and they made the voyage by water. 
Entering the mouth of the Connecticut River, they sailed up as 
far as Windsor, Conn. The Dutch, who had visited the place 
before, had built a fort on the point of the river near Hartford. 
When Holmes and his party went up in their vessels, the Dutch 
tried to prevent their passing. But their leader bravely sailed 
by the fort, and not a gun was fired at them. Holmes and his 
party built the first house ever erected by white people in this 
region. 

The town of Boston had filled rapidly with emigrants, and 
they had gone out in large numbers and settled the adjoining 
towns. The dwellers in Cambridge and Watertown had also 
caught the western fever; and, in 1634, ^'^^y began to think 
seriously of removing to the region of the famous river of which 
they had heard. 

Two men of Dorchester, John Oldham and Samuel Hull, 
with two of their friends, made a journey through the wilder- 
ness to visit the Connecticut, and they are supposed to be the 
first white people who ever stood on its banks. Although they 
were greatly pleased with the place, they were not given per- 



STORY OF FIRST TOWN BUILT UPON THE CONNECTICUT. 



89 



mission by the colon}- to settle there until 1635, a year after. 
News of the new country and its line river reached Roxbury, 
and an expedition from there started out a few months later. 

The people of these four towns, who were such near neigh- 
bors in Eastern Massachusetts, soon began the settlement of 
what are now the thriving towns and cities of Windsor, Weth- 
erstield, and Hartford, 
in Connecticut, and 
Springfield, in Massa- 
chusetts. Those who 
came from Roxbury 
chose Springfield as their 
home, and built the first 
house there on the west 
side of the river in a 
meadow\ This house 
was occupied for only a 
short time, as the Indi- 
ans kindly told them that 
the river at this point 
was liable to overflow its 
banks. 

Uv. William Pyn- 
chon, who lived in Rox- 
bury, and was an officer 
under Governor Win- 

throp, also came here with his familv and a few chosen friends. 
He was an excellent man, and did so much for the place that, 
in after years, he was revered as the father of Springfield. His 
household goods w^ere sent by water in a vessel built by Gov- 
ernor Winthrop, called the " Blessing of the Bay." 

The party themselves marched on foot through an unbroken 




WILLIAM I'VN'CHON. 



90 



storip:s of the old bay state. 



forest, tinding their way by the marks upon the trees, made by 
those who had been there before them. At night they gathered 
the boughs of trees and slept on them, and in the early morn- 
ing started again upon their weary march. It is supposed that 
they reached Agawam, — which was the Indian name of the 
place, — near the high land, now known as Springfield Hill. If 
they did, the glorious prospect of the great river, with the beau- 
tiful scenery upon its banks, must have charmed them. 







OLD P\NCHEON HOUSE 
From "History of Spring fiehi"' , finblisked l<v C. A. NicJtols Co. 

Their dwellings were rude at first ; and only Mr. Pynchon, 
who was a man of wx^alth, was able to build a frame house. 
Both he and his associates were just and honorable men ; and, 
believing that tlie Indians were the rightful owners of the land, 
thev made a bargain for its purchase. They paid the price the 
Indians asked, in articles that were useful to them. We should 
think it strange to give, as these pioneers of Springfield did. 



STORY OF FIRST TOWN BUILT UPON TlIK CONNECTICUT. 9I 

eighteen fathoms of wampum, eighteen coats, eighteen hatchets, 
eighteen hose, and eighteen knives, for a tract of huuL These 
Indians were also given the crop they had ah-eady phmted ; and 
the permission to hunt and tish, and gather nuts in the woods. 

The people of Springfield were not unmindful of their reli- 
gious duties ; for, the next 3'ear after they began their settlement, 
they formed a church and chose the Rev. George Moxom for 
their pastor. They built him a house, and gave him a salary of 
forty pounds a 3'ear, but were not able to erect a meeting-house 
until nine years later. 

The Indians were friendly at first, but in 1637 they began to 
make trouble. The Pequots, under their fierce and cruel chief 
Sassacus, began hostilities by first attacking the settlers of Con- 
necticut. The garrison of the Fort at Saybrook was kept in 
constant fear by the Indians, w'ho were daily on the watch for 
stragglers. Further up the river nine men were killed, and two 
women were taken prisoners. This roused the Connecticut peo- 
ple for defense ; and they raised ninety men who, with a great 
many Indian allies, under the lead of Captain Mason of Wind- 
sor, went on an expedition against the Pequots. 

,The news of their trouble with these Indians reached the 
Massachusetts and Plymouth Colonies ; and they raised two 
hundred and fifty men and sent them to their assistance. They 
were too late for the first encounter, and so Captain Mason 
decided to push on with only his own forces. The Indians of 
his party served him a cowardly trick ; for, just as his men were 
about to enter the Pequot country, they deserted. 

The daring little band marched on, however, and surprised 
the Indians at their fort on Mystic River, They burned the 
encampment within the fort; and killed five or six hundred of 
the Pequots, while thev onh' lost two men themselves. This 
was indeed a signal victor\- : and, when the little arnu' returned, 



92 STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 

they were received with great joy, and there were praise and 
thanksgiving everywhere. 

So many men were obHged to be away from their work in 
the fields, that much less food was produced, and they began to 
fear a famine. Captain Mason thought he would see what he 
could do for them ; and so, with only two companions, he went 
off up the Connecticut River to search for food. He reached 
Pocomtuch, now Deerlield, and was able to purchase a large 
amount of corn, which the Indians agreed to deliver. The corn 
filled fifty of their canoes ; and, as the rowers propelled them 
down the stream, their dusky brethren on the banks were filled 
with wonder at the sight. They all reached their destination 
in safety and the half-starved people doubtless felt like appoint- 
ing a Thanksgiving as did their Pilgrim brethren under similar 
circumstances. 

In the course of time, William Pynchon, who has been 
mentioned before, was appointed the magistrate of Springfield ; 
and, as he was honorable and upright in his dealings, he made 
a just ruler. He was a busy man, being engaged in trade, be- 
sides his official duties ; and yet he found time to write a book. 

This work contained some things in it that the clergy of 
Boston called heresy, and the people there were greatly excited. 
Governor Endicott was in ofiice at the time ; and, as he was a 
very rigid man in his views, he denounced the book. Noth- 
ing brings a volume into notice like an attack upon it ; and soon 
there was a great stir, especially among the clergy. The Gen- 
eral Court took the matter up : and they not only turned good 
Mr. P3mchon out of office, but ordered his book to be burned 
in the Boston Market. 

The injustice of this treatment was probably the cause of 
Mr. Pynchon's return to England; for, in 1652, he, with his 
son-in-law and Rev. Mr. Moxom and familv, sailed for that 



STORY OF FIRST TO\V\ BUILT Ul'ON THE CONNECTICUT. 93 

country, and none of them ever returned. Mr. Pynchon left 
behind him four chikh-en : three daughters and one son, John 
P3'nchon, who, Hke his father, was honored with a public office 
in the town. 

The witchcraft delusion visited Springfield the hrst of an}^ 
of the colonial towns. It was thought that people were be- 
witched by the malice of the Evil One ; and, as he was supposed 
to be especially hostile to ministers, the children of Mr. Moxom 
were believed to be " mysteriousl}' affected bv an unseen hand." 
These poor children were made the subjects of praver, and were 
no doubt constantly annoyed. The whole family of course suf- 
fered keenly by reason of these unjust accusations, that the 
simple nervous attacks of the children were caused by fiendish 
malice. 

Goody Parsons was arrested on suspicion of accusing the 
wife of a neighbor of witchcraft. The poor old woman, being 
found guiltv at her trial, was ordered to be " well whipped with 
twenty lashes by the Constable." A number of other cases of 
witchcraft in Springfield are recorded, and it is no wonder that 
Mr. Moxom was glad to take his wife and children out of a 
country where such dreadful things were believed. 

After Mr. Pynchon's departure, the General Court placed 
the affairs of the town under a board of three men ; and tiiev 
appointed John Pynchon, Elizur Holyoke, and Samuel Chapin, 
for that office. They took a quaint oath which is found in the 
" Pynchon Book of Records," in which thev swore " by ye 
Living God that they will trulv endeavor to their best abilitys in 
the place according to the laws of God and the Commonwealth." 

They held a court on the first Thursday of March and 
September, and queer cases are recorded as coming before it 
to be tried. Both men and women were publicly whipped for 
offenses that in our dav would be thought trifling: and, for 



94 STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 

failing to keep some town order, they were fined from one to 
five shillings. 

The place of Mr. Moxom, the minister, who went home to 
England, was soon supplied ; and there never was a lack of 
godly men to preach in that first meeting-house in the old 
town of Springfield. In the absence of the regular minister, 
some one of the deacons was voted for by the town to lead the 
meetings. This seems to us an arbitrary arrangement, for in 
these days the state or town authorities have nothing to do with 
the appointing of church officers. 

They had a strange custom in those early times, which they 
probably brought from Boston. The people were called to at- 
tend religious services b}^ the beating of a drum. A man was 
hired to beat this drum for half an hour before service, beating 
it all the way from the minister's house to a certain point in the 
town. For this service he received four pence in wampum, or 
a peck of Indian corn, which was thought to be worth the same 
amount. 

John Pynchon became a most honored man in the town ; 
and it is supposed that he grew rich and prosperous, for he 
built a brick mansion in 1660, which became famous as the 
" Pynchon House." It had the honor of being the first house 
made of brick in the Connecticut valley. Houses were built in 
a substantial way in those days ; and this one lasted for two cen- 
turies, and then was torn down. 

When large towns arrive at the dignity of a cit}^ they gen- 
erally adopt a seal, upon which is some appropriate picture or 
device. It was quite fitting that the present city of Springfield 
should place upon its seal a picture of this old historic Pynchon 
House. 



THE DEERFIKLI) CAPTIVES. 



95 



CHAPTER X. 



THE DEERFIELD CAPTIVES. 




.X 




s,>J^^^v*-C^"^ - 



Not long after the accession of Qiieen 
to the throne ot Ii^nghind, a war broke 
out between that 
country and France, 
which extended to 
many other countries 
in Europe. The col- 
onies belonging to 
those nations in 
America soon be- 
came involved, and 
troops w ere sent o\^er 
by the French under 
the command of Her- 
tel de Rou\ille. 
Their plan was to attack and destroy the settlements of the 
English wherever possible. As this w-as congenial work for 
the Indians, they were easily induced to take part in the con- 
flict. 

The town of Deertield, on the Connecticut river, being a 
frontier settlement, was chosen as the first place of attack in 
Massachusetts. On the morning of Feb. 19th, i 704, de Rouville, 
at the head of his French and Indian troops, made his appear- 
ance there. Tlie inhabitants had retired on the preceding 



AN Oil) HOI SI \l DFfRHHM, M \SS 



96 STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 

evening, with no tliought of danger, and were all securely 
sleeping on the morning of the attack. The snow was very 
deep, so the approach of the enemy was noiseless, and they 
passed the pickets without being discovered. 

The inhabitants had tried to fortify the place as well as they 
could, by building a high palisade around it, and making the 
few houses there as strong 'as possible. There were twenty 
soldiers quartered in the town ; but these, like the rest of the 
villagers, were fast asleep, when de Rouville and his men burst 
in upon them. The people thus suddenly attacked were dragged 
out of their beds, and if they made any resistance their heads 
were severed bv the tomahawk. 

The minister of the town, Rev. Mr. Williams, and his family 
were among the first who were attacked. A little before sunrise, 
a band of twenty Indians rushed into his house ; Mr. Wil- 
liams, leaping from his bed, reached for a pistol and fired upon 
the enemy. The weapon missed fire ; and three fierce Indians 
then seized him, bomid him fast so that he could not move, and 
kept him there nearlv naked for an hour, all the while taunting 
him with his shivering condition. The situation was indeed a 
dreadful one ; for two of his children and the negro woman, who 
attended them, were taken to the door and killed before his 
eyes. 

Mrs. Williams, although in feeble health, was compelled to 
rise from her bed, and was allowed to dress the remaining five 
children. This favor was not from any kindness of heart, but 
because, as the Indians had decided to take them as captives, 
they would be ready the sooner for their journey. 

The house next to the minister's was strongly built, and was 
defended by seven men, who were brave and resolute. Their 
dreadful peril had made the women of the family also coura- 
geous ; and these determined people actually kept that force of 



THE DKEKFIELD CAPTIVES. 97 

three hundred at bay, until they at last gave up the contest and 
went elsewhere. The conflict in the town was a short one, only- 
lasting two hours ; but, in that space of time, a dreadful work 
had been accomplished. 

Earh' in the affray one Captain Stoddard, seizing his cloak, 
leaped out of a chamber window and ran for his life. He had 
no protection for his feet ; and so he tore pieces from his cloak, 
and binding these upon them, was enabled to go on. He made 
his escape across the river into Hatfield, where he arrived in an 
exhausted state. 

The alarm soon spread, and the men of that town marched 
as soon as possible to the relief of their Deerfield neighbors. In 
the meantime, the work of destruction had been accomplished ; 
and, besides plundering and burning their houses, forty-seven 
of the inhabitants had been killed, and the rest, as prisoners, 
were already on their march from the town. 

When the party from Hatfield arrived, they looked upon a 
terrible scene of ruin and bloodshed. A few had managed to 
escape ; and, taking these with them, they hastened in pursuit of 
the eneni}'. The commander, de Rouville, had already taken 
his captives across the river, and had ordered them to halt at the 
foot of a mountain near by. Those who were too feeble to keep 
up with the rest were killed, and fourteen of these poor captives 
thus suffered after the march began. The halt was made for a 
cruel purpose, for the captives were here compelled to take off 
their comfortable shoes, and wear Indian moccasins instead. 
Their captors pretended that thev could march more easily and 
quickly with these than with the heavy shoes to which they 
W'Cre accustomed. 

At this place the Hatfield pursuers came up with the enemy, 
and a sharp battle ensued. The\- were unequal in numbers, 
and the brave little band soon ga\e up the contest ; but not 



gS STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 

without the loss of nine of their number. Very soon after this, 
de Rouville beiian his march of three hundred miles to Canada, 
taking with him the wretched people whom he had so cruelly 
captured, and whose homes he had destroyed. 

Mr. Williams wrote an account of these terrible scenes in 
which he and his family took such a sad part ; and he tells us 
that on the tirst night of their march they were allowed to rest, 
and were as comfortable as could be expected. On the second 
day, he was permitted to speak with his wife for a short time, 
and try, as best he could, to assist and comfort her. She told 
him that her strength was failing, and that she could not possi- 
bly endure the hardships of the journey a great while longer. 

The following extract from Mr. Williams" book shows with 
what a Christian spirit they met all their trials : " On the way we 
discoursed of the happiness of those who had a right to a house 
not made with hands, eternal in the heavens : and God for a 
father and friend ; as also it was our reasonable duty, quietly 
to submit to the will of God and to say, '.The will of the Lord 
be done." "" 

What brave spirits thev possessed to be able to comfort each 
other in this way, when in such distress. They were not per- 
mitted to share each other's company long, for at the next stop 
on their journey, Mr. Williams was sent forward into the front 
ranks, and never saw his poor wife again. She remained for a 
while at the place where her husband left her, and then was 
again sent on her weary march. 

After fording a river, and climbing a high mountain, Mr. 
Williams was allowed another short rest. He begged piteously 
that he might again seek his wife, but was refused. Soon after, 
he learned from one of the prisoners that Mrs. Williams, while 
fordino; the river, fell into the water, and when rescued, was 
unable to march but little farther. In order to hasten her death 



THE DEERFIELD CAPTIVES. 99 

which thev knew must soon take phice, a cruel Indian killed 
her instantly with his hatchet. 

Her husband said of her, " She never spoke a discontented 
word as to what had befallen us ; but, with suitable expressions, 
justified God in what had happened." She was born in North- 
ampton, and was the daughter of Rev. Eleazer Mather, the first 
minister of that towai. Her body was found and brought back 
to Deerfield ; and here, long years after, her husband was bur- 
ied beside her, and appropriate stones mark their graves. 

Sometimes, upon this dreary march, the Indians would carry 
the youncr children who were unable to walk. It was for their 
interest to save as many as possible alive ; for, when they reached 
Canada, they expected to make them useful to themselves, or to 
sell them with profit to others. It was a long and toilsome jour- 
ney in a cold climate, and through deep snows ; and one after 
another of the poor captives gave out, exhausted, and was 
killed. Their cruel masters regretted the loss of so many, and 
so at a point on their journey, sledges were prepared in which 
to carry the wounded and the children. 

Stephen Williams, a son of the minister, who was eleven 
years old at the time, tried to keep a sort of journal ; and in this 
he speaks of their traveling thirty-five or forty miles a day. If 
anv held back from weariness they were killed. He says, "My 
feet were very sore, and I thought they would kill me also." 
Sometimes, a poor tired little child would be knocked upon the 
head, because it couldn't keep up : or a feeble woman struck 
down by the tomahawk, which mercifully ended her sufferings. 

When they reached the White River in Vermont, de Rou- 
ville divided his company, and they went to Canada from there 
in different directions. The party to which Mr. Williams be- 
longed went to Sorrel, where some of the captives had already 
arrived. The one in which were most of his children went up 



lOO STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 

by way of the Connecticut River, and barely escaped death 
from famine. 

When they all reached Canada, the French people there 
treated the captives kindly, especially Mr. Williams. He was 
taken to a number of different places ; and at last arrived at 
Montreal, where Governor Vaudreuil treated him with much 
kindness, and finally redeemed him from the savages. Some 
of his children were also redeemed and placed in homes, where 
he could occasionally see them. 

His little daughter Eunice was only seven years old when 
she was carried to Canada, and one day her father was allowed 
to visit her. The time was limited, but he felt it a great privi- 
lege to have even an hour's talk with her. He was glad to find 
she had not as yet forgotten her early teaching, and he told her 
that she must pray to God every day. She replied that she 
always did so, and she knew that God had helped her. 

The governor and his wife both tried very hard to procure 
her release ; but it was all in vain, the Indians with whom she 
lived being unwilling to give her up. She learned their lan- 
guage and their savage ways ; and, after a while, not only forgot 
all her father's teachings but even her own language. She 
grew up thoroughly acquainted with all the Indian habits and 
customs ; and when she became a woman she married one of 
that dusky race, and reared a large family of children. 

A few years after the close of the French and Indian war, 
she and her husband, with others of his race, visited Deerfield. 
She was dressed, like the rest, in Indian costume ; and, when 
urged by her friends to stay in the home of her childhood, she 
refused to do so. The General Court even offered her a piece 
of land on which to build her a home ; but she loved the freedom 
of her savage life too well to make any change, preferring to 
still live in her Indian wigwam. 



THE DEERFIELD CAPTIVES. lOI 

In 1706 Mr. Williams, his remaining children and other cap- 
tives, numbering Hfty-seven, were placed on board a govern- 
ment ship, and sent to Boston. A committee from his people 
in Deerfield met him there, and urged him to return and take 
charge of his old flock. Althougli the war was still raging, he 
decided to go, willing to brave possible new dangers, for the 
sake of beholding once more his old home. The town built 
for him a large house, and he moved into it, after remarrying. 
Other children were born to him, and it is to be hoped that his 
last days were peaceful and happv. 

The town of Deerfield had been twice abandoned during its 
history ; and, when it was rebuilt after its destruction bv the 
Indians, the inhabitants determined never to leave it ao-ain. 
Now and then an attack was made b}- some prowling Indian on 
unwar}' people, and John Allen and his wife were thus seized. 
Mr. Allen was killed on the spot, but thev spared his wife two 
days longer. As her captors carried her some distance, it was 
thought that they intended at flrst to take her to Canada. 

Two years later, as a Mr. Hinsdale was returning from North- 
ampton with his team, two Indians sprang out from the bushes and 
made him a prisoner, forcing him to march so rapidly that thev 
were only eleven days and a half in reaching Canada. This was 
the second time that Mr. Hinsdale had met a similar fate, for 
he was among the captives in Mr. Williams' partv. After re- 
maining with the Indians a while, he was sent to France ; and, 
after over three years, was permitted to return to his friends. 

In the month of June, 1709, another attack was made upon 
the long-suffering town of Deerfield by a brother of the leader 
of the former expedition. He made his appearance with a hun- 
dred and eighty French and Indians ; but this time the people 
were wide awake, and he found tliem so well prepared to resist 
him, that he thought it prudent to retire with all his force. 



102 



STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 




THE INDIANS AND THEIR 
TRAITS. 

The Indians, whom 
our forefathers found 
when the}' began tlie 
settlement of Massachusetts, were in many respects a most 
remarkable race of people. Tiiey were copper-colored ; and 
their bodies were tall and straight, and powerfully built. They 
were so light on the foot that they could run, with ease, eighty or 
ninety miles a dav : and were so accustomed to the woods that 
they could make their way as swiftly among them as on level or 
cleared ground. 

Their dress was scanty, and made of the skins of wild beasts ; 
and their shoes, which they called moccasins, were without 
heels, gathered at the toes, and tied around the ankles. They 
were fond of decking themselves with ornaments of bone, shells, 
and stones : and of cutting their straight black hair into odd 
shapes, and sticking it full of feathers. Sometimes, when the}- 
wished to be particularly fine, they would wear necklaces of fish 
bones, and paint themselves in bright colors ; and the warrior, 



Tin-: ixniAxs and jiieir traits. 



10- 




INDIAN SNOW SHOES. 



who, on any great occasion, could make himself look the most 
hideous, was considered the finest amon<j; them. 

In their domestic life the men 
were lazy and improvident, and 
compelled the women to do all 
the drudgery. The latter had to 
gather and carr^' the wood for 
their fires, and do all the planting 
and harxesting of the corn. It 
the men went out hunting, their 
wives and daughters were required 
to bring home the \-enison or fowl 
which had been killed. In mov- 
ing their wigwams from one place 
to another, they had to carry not 

onh- the young children, but all the packs and provisions of the 
tribe. It is said that these poor women bore all this harsh 
treatment whh the utmost patience, and never complained of 
their lot. 

The Indians were quick-witted people ; and had some ex- 
cellent traits. They were hospitable in their way, and would 

go hungry themselves 
rather than have a guest 
depart unfed. If they 
were pleased, and had 
been treated kindly, they 
would show it by being 
friendly and courteous ; 
but an injury done them 
t h e ^• never forgot. 
Their motto has been said to be, never to forget a kindness, 
nor forgive an iniurv. Thev were not as quick-tempered as 




INDIAN riPKS. 



104 STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 

the English people, but were apt, when provoked, to be sullen 
and revengeful. When they were exasperated, " nothing could 
exceed their cruelty." They were braye in danger, and showed 
the utmost contempt of pain and suffering. 'They w^ere never 
known to beg for their life, nor to make any outcry when bear- 
ing the severest torture. 

Their food consisted of deer, moose, and all kinds of fish 
and fowl. This they ate usually in a raw state ;- and, when there 
was a scarcity, they often fed upon reptiles and creeping things. 
In summer they raised corn, squash, and beans, and gathered 
the various fruits of the season ; and in autumn they fed upon 
the nuts and acorns which they found in the woods. 

The}' were ignorant of the art of making iron or steel instru- 
ments, and their knives and axes were of stone, which they had 
a way of making wonderfully sharp. Their weapons were bows 



INDIAN TOMAHAWK. INDIAN SHELL AX. 

and arrows, the tomahawk, and a sort of wooden spear, sharp- 
ened at the point, and made hard by heating it in the fire. The 
canoes, which they used upon the rivers and bays, were made 
by hollowing out logs of wood ; and it is wonderful how well 
they constructed them, with only their stone instruments for 
tools. 

They believed in a Great Spirit, and, unlike other savage 
tribes, they thought he was good. They bowed in reverence 
to anj^thing more powerful than themselves ; so that fire and 
water, and also thunder and lightning, received their homage. 

The money which they used in trade was called wampum. 



THE INDIANS AND THEIR TRAITS. IO5 

It consisted of small beads, which they made out ol shells ; 
these were neatly perforated with a hole in the center so that 
they could be strung and made into chains and bracelets. It 
is wonderful how they fashioned these beads so beautifully 
with nothing but stone tools to work with. 

Such were the people whom the English found in the new 
country ; and their peculiar traits are illustrated in the follow- 
ing stories of some of the cruel attacks which they made, and of 
the occasional kind deeds which they performed. 

The Pilgrims at Plymouth had occasion to learn somewhat 
of their hospitality not many months after their arrival there. 
Having received a friendly visit from Massasoit, accompanied 
by a number of his tribe, they thought, when the warm weather 
came, it was proper that they should return the visit. So, in 
July, 162 1, Edward Winslow and Stephen Hopkins, with their 
Indian friend Squanto, for guide and interpreter, set out for 
Pokanoket, Massasoit's residence, forty miles distant. 

Massasoit happened to be away ; and, as he was sent for, 
they awaited his return. It seems he was not well prepared 
for company ; for, having been gone some time, he had no food 
to offer them. But he welcomed them kindly, and was espe- 
cially pleased with a red cotton coat trimmed with lace, which 
they brought him, with other things, for a present. He put 
on the coat and a chain wliich they gave him ; and the sachem 
and his men were proud of the line appearance that he made. 
In the absence of other food, it was fortunate that the Plym- 
outh visitors had brought some stores with them. 

When bedtime arrived they were invited to occupy some 
planks, which had been raised about a foot from the ground, 
for their bed. On this rude couch, which had but a thin mat 
spread upon it, not only Massasoit and his wife slept, but two 
of his chief men ; so that Mr. Winslow and his friend had a 



io6 



STORIES OF THE OLD I5AV STATE. 



poor night's rest, particularly as the Indians, according to their 
custom, kept up a " barbarous singing '" until they fell asleep. 

The next day Massas(*it caught two fishes and broiled them 
for their, dinner ; but, as there were more than forty people to 
eat them, the visitors had but little for their share. They were 
so hungry and tired, that they decided to start for home that 
day. Though urged to stay they refused, for they feared if 
they did they would have no strength left for their journey. 

The good old chief 
renewed his expres- 
sions of friendship 
and good will for 
them, and they felt 
their visit was not 
in vain. 

Two vears later, 
in 1623, Mr. Wins- 
low had occasion to 
make Massasoit an- 
other visit. Word 
came to Plymouth 
that the Indian chief 
was dangerously ill ; and, as it was the Indian custom, when 
news came of a friend's sickness, to visit him immediately, the 
Pilgrims felt that they must do the same. The governor sent 
Mr. Winslow, and his friend Hamden, with Hobormack, this 
time, for their Indian guide. When they arrived at Massa- 
soit's wigwam, they found it crowded so full of his people, that 
it was with difficulty they could reach his bedside. They were 
in the midst of performing their charms for his recovery, and 
making such a hideous noise as almost to distract the visitors. 
When made conscious of their presence, Massasoit seemed 




INDIAN MI'.TIKJI) OK BROlI.INi;. 



THE INDIANS AND THEIR TRAITS. lOJ 

pleased, and kindly took Mr. Winslow by the hand. The latter 
told him that the governor was sorry to hear of his illness ; and 
had sent him some preserve, if he would like to taste it. He 
assented, and Mr. Winslow gave him a little upon the point of 
his knife. This he swallowed, much to the joy of his people, 
who said that for two days the chief had been unable to swallow 
anvthing. Mr. Winslow remained for two or three days, giving 
him, meanwhile, simple remedies and nourishing food, so that 
when he left, his Indian patient was in a fair way for complete 
recovery. When he did regain his health, he said, " Now I see 
that the English are my friends, and love me ; and whilst I live 
I will never forget this kindness they have shown me." 

This resolve Massasoit faithfully kept; but, after his death, 
and the succession of his son Philip, who began a cruel war 
upon the whites, the peaceful relations that had existed so many 
years between them and their dusky neighbors came to an end. 
Attacks were made upon towns all over Massachusetts ; and, as 
these were generally given without any warning, the inhabitants 
were in constant fear. 

In the year 1695, two boys, Isaac Bradley and Joseph 
Whittaker, were at work in a field near the house of Mr. Joseph 
Bradley in Haverhill, when they were surprised and taken by 
the Indians. The latter made no assault upon the house ; but 
immediately departed with their prisoners to their home, far 
away on the shores of Lake Winnepesaukee. The boys were 
placed in an Indian family upon their arrival, and soon acquired 
enough of their language to learn that it was the intention of 
their captors to take them to Canada in the spring. 

Isaac was fifteen years of age, and Joseph was only eleven ; 
and, although it was a dangerous thing for a boy to attempt, 
Isaac, who was active and full of vigor, determined to make his 
escape with his comrade. 



I08 . STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 

They passed a tedious winter; and, when April came, fear- 
ing that the Indians would soon start for Canada, Isaac set a 
night for carrying out his plan. He arose about midnight; and, 
in trying to awake Joseph, the latter nearly betrayed them, by 
calling out, "What do you want?" Fortunately none of the 
Indians awoke; and Isaac stole silently out of the wigwam, and 
was soon followed by Joseph. They ran away as fast as they 
could in the darkness ; and, w hen daylight came, they hid them- 
selves in the trunk of a hollow tree. 

When the savages missed the boys in the morning, they 
called their dogs and pursued them ; and the boys were soon 
tracked to their hiding-place. They spoke kindly to the dogs 
and gave them some moose meat, which they had ; and, know- 
ing their voices, the dogs molested them no farther. When the 
Indians came up the dogs trotted off with them, much to the re- 
lief of the prisoners in the tree. 

After many hairbreadth escapes, on the eighth day of their 
journey', the boys came right upon an Indian camp, and, of 
course, were greatl}^ alarmed. They had to retrace their steps 
and take another direction ; and, on the ninth day, torn and 
bleeding, and half-dead from exhaustion, they reached a fort in 
Saco, Maine. It was, indeed, a wonderful escape ; for they 
had traveled those hundreds of miles on foot, and with onl}'- 
such food as they could gather in the forests to sustain them. 
As soon as he became rested, Isaac returned to Haverhill where 
he received a joyful welcome. Joseph's father went to Saco 
for him ; and so both of the boys were restored to home and 
friends. 

Two years later, on the 5th of March, 1697, the Indians 
again visited Haverhill : and this time they killed and took cap- 
tive about forty of the inhabitants. A party of them, decked in 
their war dresses, drew near the house of Mr. Dustin, who was 



THE INDIANS AND THEIR TRAITS. lOQ 

at work in an adjoining field. He flew to the house in order to 
protect his family, which consisted of his wife, a young infant 
with the nurse, and eight other children. He told the children 
to flee as fast as possible in an opposite direction ; and, before he 
could rescue his wife, the savages were upon them. Finding that 
he could do nothing for her, he hastened after the children, the 
savages all the time pursuing them. He shot so many of his 
assailants, and protected his little flock so bravelv, that he suc- 
ceeded in taking them all safelv to a neighboring house. 

Another party, who had entered Mr. Dustin's house just as 
he had left it, giving Mrs. Dustin and the nurse no time for 
preparation, drove them, with the little infant, out of doors, 
and then set fire to the house. The Indians started, with their 
captives, up the bank of the river ; and, thinking the babv an 
incumbrance, dashed it against a tree, killing it instantly. The 
poor mother and the nurse, though weak and ill-protected for 
a journev, managed to keep up with their captors, until they 
reached the end of their journey, a hundred and fifty miles 
distant. 

In the wigwam to which they were taken, Mrs. Dustin found 
a white boy who had been previously captured. Learning that, 
in the near future, new tortures were intended for them, Mrs. 
Dustin resolved to make a desperate effort for freedom. A few 
days after, the Indians who had charge of them, having feasted 
and fallen into a drunken sleep, she thought it a favorable time 
for her plan. So she awoke the nurse and the boy prisoner ; 
and the three of them attacked the twelve drunken savages, 
killing ten of them, while the other two escaped. Finding a 
canoe b}' the river, they entered it and rowed down to Haver- 
hill, where they were welcomed as though risen from the dead. 
For this wonderful act of heroism Mrs. Dustin received a hand- 
some reward from the legislature of Boston. 



no 



STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 



It has been often said that the white people who settled New 
England obtained their lands in an unjust manner ; that it was 
no wonder the Indian owners, who were thus defrauded, be- 
came cruel and vindictive. There may have been instances 
when this was true ; but Hoyt, a writer of authority concerning 
the Indians, says: " In most cases the first settled towns were 
purchased of the sachems residing at the places selected by 
the English. In many old towais, deeds given by them are ex- 
tant, containing considerations for the lands sold. To prevent 
injustice, the purchasers were restricted by government. In 
Massachusetts, none were allowed to take deeds of the Indians, 
excepting under certain conditions ; and Plymouth colony put 
similar checks upon their people." 

Bacon, in his " Historical Discourses," says, " There is no 
hazard in asserting that the general course of the policy, adopted 
by our fathers in respect to the Indians, was characterized by 
justice and kindness. The right of the Indians to the soil was 
admitted and respected. Patents and charters from the king 
were never considered good against the rights of the natives." 

Indians are no longer found in Massachusetts, except a few 
scattered ones, here and there, who sell baskets and trinkets to 
summer tourists. It is pleasant to know that, in the main, they 
were treated justlv and kindly by those who were their success- 
ors in the ownership of the soil. 




INDIAN CANOE. 



TllK OLD I'OWDER HOUSE IN SOMERVILLE. Ill 



CHAPTER XII. 

THE OLD POWDER HOUSE IN SOMERVILLE. 

In the vicinity of Boston, on a little eminence now embraced 
in the city of Somerville, stands a most picturesque object. It 
is a stone structure, solidly built, circular in shape, and about 
thirty feet in height, with a base of tifteen feet in diameter. It 
was built to last, by a people long since passed away ; and the 
Old Ba}' State has no object of similar interest. 

In the early days of the reign of Queen Anne, one John 
Mallet purchased the site, probably in the 3'ear 1703. It was 
a place where the three roads from Cambridge, Mystic, and 
Menotomy met ; and on this convenient spot John Mallet built 
his windmill. 

The walls were three feet thick ; the inner one was made of 
brick, and the outer one of bluestone, such as was found all 
about the place, which was known as Qiiarry Hill, from the 
quarries of this stone that were opened there. 

We are told that these acres which John Mallet purchased 
were known as the Stinted Pasture, so they could not have been 
considered \tvy valuable. There was a little stream which 
flowed through the grounds, and this bore the cheap name of 
Two Penny Brook. 

This mill, with its arms outspread, must have been a conspic- 
uous object for miles around. It had three lofts inside, which 
were supported by heavy beams of oak. In later years many 
visitors have recorded their names upon the massive timbers. 



112 



STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 




/ : r 







ULU I'UWDER HOUSE, SOMERVILLE. 



THK OLD POWDER HOUSE IN SOMERVILLE. II3 

The mill was owned and worked by successive members of 
the Mallet family until, in 1747, Michael Mallet sold it to the 
Massachusetts Bay Company of New England ; for the use, as 
the record says, of "ye Governor, Council, and Assembly of 
the said Pro\'ince." The privilege of access to the highway 
was granted to the government, and a quarter of an acre of 
land around the mill ; and from that time it was used as a store- 
house for the powder of the Province. The mill came into his- 
torical prominence in connection with the Revolution, as early 
as 1774. On the ist of September of that year, General Gage, 
commanding the British forces in Boston, sent an expedition to 
seize all the powder of the Province, which was stored in the 
old house. They started from Long Wharf verv early in the 
morning, and in their thirteen boats sailed up the Mvstic River. 
They landed at a place called Ten Hills Farm, less than a mile 
from the Powder House. 

William Gamage, who was in charge of the place, was pow- 
erless to resist such a party ; and so the two hundred and fifty 
barrels of powder which the magazine contained were very 
quickly emptied. They transported it safely to the Castle ; and 
then a part of the expedition still further provoked the rebels, as 
they were called, by going to Cambridge and seizing two field- 
pieces from that place. 

The news of this outrage spread rapidlv through all the 
country round, and the next dav thousands of people had gath- 
ered on the Common in Cambridge. So this old historic town was 
really the first to witness an armed iiatherin£j in the defense of 
liberty. The men of Middlesex County, who met on Cambridge 
Common that day, were no doubt inspired by that rising with a 
new zeal for liberty. And so" they w^ere all ready to respond 
to the midnight call to arms of Paul Revere, in April of the 
next year. 



114 



STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 



There was a great scarcit}' of powder at this time ; and 
Washington, who had recently taken command of the continen- 
tal army, was sadly perplexed. The troops could not respond 
to the artillery of the British on this account ; and it was really 
the darkest hour in the early history of the contest. Ammuni- 
tion of all kinds 
- ., ... -..-.. ..:-'^-.---v-v- ..1 




Jf lUlS aLl2 ulLL ^ 



was very scarce, 
and the people 
were obliged to 
resort to all sorts 
of devices in or- 
der to obtain a 
s u p p 1 }■ . The 
leaden weights 
of their windows 
were called for ; 
and the leaden 
coats of arms on 
the gravestones 
were r e m o v e d 
and melted up for 
bullets. Many 
an old clock gave 
up its ponderous 
weights for this 
purpose; and 
even the metal 
pipes in the 
English Church at Cambridge shared the same fate. 

After peace was declared,' and America took her place 
among the nations, the old Powder House was still used as a 
magazine by the State. As time went on, there was need of 



GREAt ASSEMBL. 



THE FIRS 
FORE 
TYRANNY OF KIMC: 




„L. 



^ 



■ ON. 

WBJ^ET WAS PLACED BY THE 
IsACHUSEnSSOCIElWI'''' 
ONSOFTKEREVOLUi 



% 



Nil-iHteiliei. 



THE OLD POWDER HOUSE IN SOMERVILLK. 115 

a more spacious receptacle, and so a suitable powder magazine 
was built at Cambridgeport. 

The government sold the property to Nathan Tufts, and the 
place was known from that time as the Tufts Farm, but it also 
retained the name of Old Powder House Farm. Such a relic 
of the olden time, so rich in historical associations, was thought 
worthy of the most careful preservation. So the citv of Somer- 
ville, which has the honor of possessing this antique ruin, has 
purchased the old structure, with the ample grounds surrounding 
it. All needed repairs have been made, so that its preservation 
is assured, and the grounds have been beautifully laid out for a 
park. There is not a more picturesque or interesting spot in 
all Massachusetts for the tourist to visit than this Old Powder 
House, crowning, as it does, the summit of an artistic and 
lovely park. 

There is a most interesting legend connected with its early 
days, when, as a windmill, it ground the corn for the sturdy 
farmers, some of whom brought it from a distance of sixtv 
miles. 

One evening, in the month of November, John Mallet had 
closed his mill, and was eating his supper by the comfortable 
fire, when a horse clattered up to the door, and soon he heard 
some one call. It was not unusual for customers to come at 
that late hour, and he expected to greet one upon opening the 
door. Instead, he saw a delicate-looking boy, seated upon a 
powerful horse, which had evidently been urged there at great 
sp)eed, for it was steaming with perspiration. 

The miller gave the boy a cheerful welcome, and invited 
him into the house. Although urged to eat heartily, he took 
but verv little supper and soon retired into a shady nook of 
tiie old fireplace. Not long after, Mr. Mallet, who wished to 
provide for the comfort of his guest, took him up to the garret, 



Il6 STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 

and proposed that he occupy the bed with his son Andre. The 
boy flushed hotl}^ and, though seemingl}- grateful for the invi- 
tation, appeared loth to accept it. He begged, in a confused 
way, that he might have a bed to himself, or sit all night by 
the fire. 

The miller w^as half inclined to be angry ; and the legend 
tells us that he exclaimed, " Hark ye, lad, your speech is fair, 
and you do not look as if you would cut our throats in the dark, 
but, if you can't sleep with the miller's son for a bedfellow, your 
highness must e'en couch with the rats in the mill, for other 
place there is none." 

The boy eagerly accepted this proposal ; and the miller took 
him, by the light of the lantern, into the old mill, muttering to 
himself all the while at this strange conduct of his guest. The 
boy ascended the ladder into the loft, and the miller securely 
locked the old oaken door. Finding some convenient meal 
bags, the lad threw himself down upon them and soon fell 
asleep. Not long after he was aroused by the sound of voices, 
and he could hear the miller trying to unlock the doors. A 
man's voice, bidding him hasten this work, sent terror into the 
heart of the boy, and he hastened to draw up the ladder upon 
which he had ascended. 

When the pvn"suer of this poor fugitive saw what had been 
done, he was greatly enraged, and called out, "Hoi there, 
Claudine ! descend, and you shall be forgiven this escapade : 
come down, I say. Curse the girl ! — Miller, another ladder ; 
and I'll bring her down, or my name's not Dick Wynne." The 
ladder was brought, and the man climbed up to the first loft ; 
and, not finding the object of his search, he went to the loft above. 
It was too dark for him to see any one, but he knew his victim 
was there, bv her quick breathing. 

As there seemed no chance of escape, except by the ladder. 



THE OLD POWDER HOUSE IN' SOMERVILLE. II/ 

the girl, with a cry for help, reached forward and tried to grasp 
it. In attempting to catch her, the man missed his footing, and 
fell through the opening. In passing, his hand came in contact 
with a rope, which he grasped, as persons will in danger, and 
he thus came to a sudden stop. The miller cried out, in a voice 
of horror, " Let go the cord, or 3'ou'll be a dead man." 

The w^arning came too late ; the man had set the mill in 
motion, and its arms were already revolving rapidlv, and crush- 
ing him within its machinery. He was taken up unconscious, 
and carried to the farmhouse, and surgeon and minister were 
sent for in haste. They both arrived at the sunrising, but the 
surgeon gave no hope, and, ere long, the man died ; his last 
gaze being fixed upon Claudine, who, in the proper dress of her 
sex, was standing by the bedside. 

She was one of the unfortunate maidens of Acadia, who had 
been torn from her home by the conquerors of her country. 
These people were distributed by their captors among the dif- 
ferent towns, and poor Claudine fell into the hands of a bad 
master. She would not consent to his wicked plans, and, in a 
fit of desperation, she mounted her master's horse, disguised as 
a boy, and fied. He procured a warrant, and an officer, and 
started in pursuit, meeting at last, in the old mill, the awful 
death which the legend chronicles. 



Il8 STORIES OF THE OLD BAV STATE. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

HARVARD COLLEGE IN THE OLDEN TIME. 

The beautiful meadow lands across the water on the west, 
inclosed bv primeval forests, soon attracted the attention of the 
early settlers of Boston. They desired to lind a more inland 
situation ; and so Winthrop, Dudley, and Bradstreet, as early as 
1631, went over and made a temporary camp in these lovely 
meadows. 

Thomas Dudley thought it such an inviting spot, that in due 
time he built himself a house. He wished it not only to be 
comfortable but attractive ; and so, besides other adornments, he 
ornamented it with a wainscot of clapboards. Governor Win- 
throp thought this was an uncalled-for addition, and it is said 
that he reproved Dudley for his extravagance. 

Other residents of ample means soon came to keep Dudley 
company, and the place was hrst called Newtown. They in- 
tended it for a city ; and so began to build it around a square, 
with streets leadin^j from it in all directions. But it was after- 
wards thought to be too far from the sea for a cit}^ location ; and 
instead, the settlers there planned to make it an especially pleas- 
ant suburb of Boston, where wealthy people could make their 
homes. In 1638 the name of the place was changed to Cam- 
bridge, in honor of the old English University town from which 
some, at least, of its inhabitants had come. 

After the settlers of Boston had reared their own homes, 
and built houses of worship in which to hold divine service, 



HARVARD COLLEGE IN THE OLDEN TIME. 



119 




120 STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 

their next thought was to provide the means of education for 
their children. Their ministers were not only godly but learned 
men ; and the}^ wanted their places filled, when they had passed 
away, by men equally well educated. 

They were thinking and planning how such a thing might 
be brought about, when, as the old record reads, " it pleased 
God to stir up the heart of one Harvard (a godly gentleman 
and a lover of learning, then living amongst us) to give the 
one-half of his estate (it being in all about 1700 pounds) 
towards the erecting of a college ; and all his library." 

This library consisted of three hundred volumes, and was, 
indeed, a generous public donation. 

Others interested in the plan gave liberallv of their monev, 
and the government contributed the rest of the funds needed. 
Cambridge was thought to be the best location for the college, 
which was named Harvard College, from its first and largest 
donor. The first building was of wood, and is described as 
" comely within and without," having a spacious hall. The peo- 
ple were not unmindful of the needs of younger pupils, and near 
by, they built a grammar school. In this the youth were fitted 
for a still higher school, which should prepare them for college. 

Our forefathers often expressed the wish that they might be 
the means of Christianizing and educating the Indians ; and 
they seem to have been sincere in this desire, for the}- erected 
a seminary building for them, in the college yard ; and, in 
1655, it is said to have contained eight Indian pupils, one of 
whom afterward entered Harvard College. 

This ancient seat of learning seems to have prospered from 
its beginning ; for, in a little more than twenty years after its 
foundation, there had been graduated from it a hundred men, 
who had entered successfully upon the professions of the 
ministry, medicine, and the law. 



HARVARD COLLEGE IN THE OLDEN TIME. 121 

The first president of tlie College was Henry Dunster, and 
his home is supposed to have been on Water Street, near where 
the first church in Newtown was built. The name of the street 
was changed in his honor to Dunster Street. On it also stood 
the house of Deputy Governor Dudley, already mentioned. Re 
became dissatisfied at length with his residence here, and finally 
settled in Roxbur\', where his name is held in honored remem- 
brance. 

The librarv of John Harvard was a valuable one; and to 
this additions were made, so that, in due time, it had as many 
as five thousand books, besides a large number of manuscripts 
which were of immense value. This library was destroyed by 
fire, at the time of the burning of Old Harvard Hall, January 
24, 1764, and its loss was a severe blow to the College. Not 
only the books, but the philosophical apparatus was burned, 
besides many instruments, globes, maps, and a font of Greek 
tvpe. Onl}' one of the books in the collection given bv Har- 
vard was saved. It is now to be seen in the present library of 
the College, under the title of " Donname's Chrisdan Warfare." 

It was thought best that the presidents should live in Cam- 
bridge, and near the College over which they ruled. A spa- 
cious house was therefore built for them in Braintree, now Har- 
A-ard Street ; and President Wadsworth, who was the first one to 
occupy it, speaks thus of it : " The President's house to dwell in 
was raised Maj' 24, 1726. No life was lost, nor person hurt in 
raising it, thanks be to God for his preserving goodness. In y^ 
Evening those who raised y*" House had a supper in y*" hall, 
after which we sang y*^ first stave in y" 127 Psalm." 

It was a large gambrel-roofed house ; and, with the addition 
of wings and a little alteration in other respects, it stands now 
as it was originally built. It is two stories in height, and has 
two chimnevs, one at each end of the building. It is venerable 



122 



STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 



in appearance, having the same small panes of glass as in the 
olden time. Benjamin Wadsworth, for whom the house was 
built, was the lirst president who occupied it ; and, after his dav, 
for a hundred and twenty years, it was the home of the presi- 
dents who succeeded him, with two exceptions. • 

Increase Mather refused to make this house his residence, 




WADSWORTH IIUUSE. 



and on this account he is said to have resigned his office. Pres- 
ident Willard was also a non-resident here ; Edward Everett 
was the last president to occupy it ; and, after he resigned his 
office, he continued to live there for some time, as his successor. 
President Jared Sparks, had a good house of his own where he 
preferred to reside. 

Besides the honored men who ofticialh' occupied the house, 



HARVARD COLLEGE IN THE OLDEN TIME. 1 23 

there have probably been more iUustrious people under its roof, 
at different times, than in any other house in the land. The 
royal governors used to come here on great occasions, and \is- 
itors of note always made it a point to call there. When Wash- 
ington came to Cambridge to take command of the American 
army, the Provincial Congress assigned him the President's house 
for his headquarters, and about the ist of Julv, 1775, Washing- 
ton and Lee took possession of it. The iirst dispatches to Con- 
gress and to General Schuyler were undoubtedly penned here. 

The first college building, which was called Old Harvard, 
was built of wood. The General Court was using the librarv 
room the day before the fire, and perhaps it mav have occurred 
from their carelessness. At any rate, only two days after it 
was burned the Court passed a resolve to rebuild it. So the 
new building, which was also called Harvard, was built b}- the 
Commonwealth and finished in 1766. Massachusetts Hall was 
afterward built in the same style of architecture, and thev. both 
stand with their ends to the street. Their venerable walls are 
now standing and are fine specimens of the style of public 
buildings in the old colonial time. Harvard Hall was planned by 
Governor Bernard, and Thomas Dawes of Boston superintended 
its building. It is an interesting fact, that when the Reverend 
George Whitefield, the celebrated preacher, was here just after 
the fire which destroyed the old Hall, he was so interested in 
its rebuilding, that he solicited a generous contribution for it 
from his friends both in England and Scotland. 

The first bell that was used in tiie belfry of Harvard Hall 
was said to have come from an Italian convent. The present 
one is a cracked affair, and it is no wonder, for mischief-loving 
students have tried to blow it up with gunpowder, and ha\e 
otherwise ill-treated it. 

In course of time the old Hall fell into a ruinous condition. 



124 STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 

and all its interior had to be removed. It was then fitted up for 
a gallery where the portraits of the famous men of the college 
might be preserved. When the present Memorial Hall was 
built, these portraits were removed there, and old Harvard is 
once more used for recitations by the students. 

The college buildings were utilized, it seems, in the Rev- 
olution for barracks. When the Continental Army was en- 
camped in Cambridge, they were used by the commanders for 
their military officers, and some of them were occupied by the 
soldiers. Five college buildings had been erected by that time, 
and during the winters of 1775 and 1776 we are told that nearl}^ 
two thousand men were quartered there. The college was thus 
broken up for fourteen months, but after the evacuation of Bos- 
ton the students returned and resumed their studies. 

The building that was used by Harvard as its first observ- 
atory is still standing, on the corner of Harvard and Qinncy 
Streets. It is a square house, large and roomy, and is known 
to all the people of Cambridge as the residence of the late Rev. 
Dr. Andrew Peabody, who for so many years was the honored 
minister of the college. 

The present library was completed in 1842, and was built 
by funds donated for the purpose by Governor Gore. It is a 
unique stone structure, castellated in form, and within a few 
years has received a large addition, which much improves its 
appearance. It is known as Gore Hall, being named in honor 
of its donator. 

Many interesting incidents relating to the college and its 
customs have come down to us from the ancient days. In an 
account of the Commencement exercises of 1642, we learn that 
the " Governor, Magistrates, and the Ministers from all parts, 
with all sorts of scholars and others in great numbers, were 
present, and did heare their exercises." 



IIAKVAKD COLLEGE IN THE OLDEN TIME. 1 25 

These consisted of Greek and Latin orations, and recitations 
in Hebrew, and their degrees were conferred upon the students 
with suitable ceremonies. These Commencement days were 
notable occasions, and were regular!}" observed until the break- 
ing out of the Revolution, when of course there could be no 
public exercises of that kind. 

In the old days of the college, the students were required to 
wear a distinctive dress. Their costume consisted of blue-gray 
coats in winter and gowns in the summer. When they appeared 
on public occasions, their gowns were required to be black. 
The students went about the college grounds and through the 
streets of the town, clad in long flowing robes, made of calico or 
gingham in summer, and in winter they wore a garment made 
in the same way of woolen material. They Wore cocked hats, 
and their shoes were peaked at the toe. Some wore top-boots, 
with a yellow lining falling over the leg, and knee breeches were 
in fashion up to the year 1800. 

Later on, the cocked hats gave place to Oxford caps made 
of silk. They were an ugly-looking headgear, and no end of 
fun was made of them. Thev attracted so much attention that 
the students at last were obliged to give up their use in public. 
Many however, who were indignant at the persecution they 
caused, persisted in wearing the caps. When thev did so, they 
usually went in groups instead of venturing into the city alone. 
But this only served to make the matter worse, for larger crowds 
attacked them, and so they were forced to give up, and to put 
away their Oxford caps. 

The freshmen in those days fared quite as badly as, if not 
worse than in these modern times. Whatever hazing these 
classes suffer is now quickly over, but the freshmen of long 
ago had to endure persecution for the entire year. They were 
not allowed to wear their hats in the college vard unless it rained, 



126 STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 

and on no account must they speak to a senior without remov- 
ing them. The higher classes made them run upon their er- 
rands, and they were expecte,d to be ready to do them at any time, 
except in the hours of study. They were required to pay for all 
the bats and balls used in the college, and, in fact, were made 
such petty slaves that they must have rejoiced when their term 
of servitude was over. 

The furnishings of the students' rooms were simple in the 
extreme. A pine bedstead corded with rope, and having upon 
it a straw or feather bed, served for sleeping accommodations. 
The students had no carpets, and only rugs of home manufac- 
ture were seen upon the bare floors. The rooms were heated 
with open wood fires, and the coals were carefully covered at 
night with ashes, to keep them alive for the morning. If by any 
chance the fire went out, it had to be started by the tedious pro- 
cess of "striking fire" by flint and steel. 

There was little of luxurv in those early days and the aver- 
age life of the student was a hard one. He was required to rise 
very early in the morning, both in summer and winter, and at- 
tend morning prayers. As neither meeting-houses nor college 
chapels were heated, this service, which in winter was held be- 
fore sunrise, must have been a chilly one, as regards temper- 
ature. There was little "burning of the midnight oil "' in study ; 
candles were in universal use, and the snuffer with its tray was 
always at hand. 

The food in the college commons was of the plainest kind, 
and the students rarelv had meat except at dinner, whicli was 
served at twelve o'clock. That this plain fare was sufficient for 
their needs, is proved bv the large number of brainy and vigor- 
ous men who were graduated from Harvard in that olden time. 



AX OLD HISTORIC MANSION". . 12/ 



CHAPTER XIV. 



AN OLD HISTORIC MANSION. 



There now stands on Brattle Street, Cambridge, a fine old 
mansion, around which cluster more interesting associations 
than around almost any other in Massachusetts. "It is two 
stories in height, is built in the style of an old English country 
house, and is surrounded with a tine garden and stately trees. 
Inside, it is roomy and elegant, with an ample staircase leading 
from the massive door to the upper rooms of the house. 

It was built by Colonel John Vassall, in 1759. He came of 
an honored family, and his father, Samuel Vassall, was con- 
nected with the Massachusetts Bay Company. The family 
came originally from Cambridge in England, so that the name 
of their new home must have seemed pleasantly familiar to 
them. Colonel Vassall was a firm royalist, and when, in 1775, 
these supporters of the king were considered enemies to the 
country he became a fugitive. This house in Cambridge, and 
also one that he owned in Boston, were confiscated, and it is 
singular that both of them w^ere occupied by Washington, 
the commander-in-chief of the American army. 

Colonel Vassall after a while returned to England, and in 
a short time died, it is said from over-eating. 

The next occupant of the house was Colonel John Glover, a 
brave officer commanding a regiment from Marblehead. He 
occupied it only a short time, however, before the regiment 
received orders to go into camp. The place was then called 



128 



STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 



the Vassall farm, and was under the charge of Joseph Smith. 
Its fertile fields were well cultivated by him, and supplied for- 
age for the patriot army. 

One day the men were bus}^ in the fields making ha}-, when 
General Washington chanced to pass by. He had recentl}^ 
arrived in Cambridge to take command of the armv, and had 




THE OLD VASSAL!, HOUSE. 



been quartered by the government in the house of the college 
president. He liked this hospitable looking farmhouse so well 
that he decided to make it his permanent headquarters while in 
Cambridge. 

He had the house fitted up for his use, and moved into it 
about the middle of July, 1775. He selected for his sleeping 
apartment, the southeast chamber, which was a sunny and spa- 
cious room. No doubt he spent many sleepless nights here, 



AN OLD HISTORIC MANSION. I29 

when he felt the weight of public cares pressing heavily upon 
hini. He always retired at nine o'clock, for people in those 
days were accustomed to keep early hours. The room under- 
neath his chamber he used for an office or study, and here he 
probably received visitors, and transacted the business relating 
to the army. This room opened into another large one, which 
he assigned to the use of his otlicers, or his military family, as 
they were called. 

He assumed all the dignity and state of a commanding gen- 
eral, and when General Gage of the British army spoke slight- 
ingly of his rank, Washington returned this spirited answer : 
'^ You affect, sir, to despise all rank not derived from the same 
source as your own. I cannot conceive one more honorable 
than that which flows from the uncorrupted choice of a brave 
and free people, the purest source and original fountain of all 
power." 

Washington always sat at the table with his principal officers 
around him, and he often entertained company with great ele- 
gance. He was a perfect gentleman in all his relations, and 
one of the French generals thus describes him: "His stature 
is noble and loftv, he is well made, and exactly proportioned ; 
his physiognomy mild and agreeable, but such as to render it 
impossible to speak particularly of any of his features, so that 
in quitting him vou have only the recollection of a fine face. 
He has neither a grave nor familiar air ; his brow is sometimes 
marked by thought, but never with inquietude ; in inspiring re- 
spect he inspires confidence, and his smile is always the smile 
of benevolence." 

Mrs. Washington joined her husband in the early winter, 
and brought with her several friends from Virginia. The house 
steward was Ebenezer Austin, and a Mrs. Goodwin, whose 
house had been burned when the I5ritish .siielled Charlestown, 



130 STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 

was hired for the housekeeper. There was a French cook in 
the kitchen, and plenty of colored servants to do the work of the 
house. 

Any incident in the daily life of General Washington, while 
he occupied his headquarters in Cambridge, is sure to be inter- 
esting. He took breakfast at seven o'clock in the morning, 
dinner at two, and always had an early tea. The food was 
abundant, with plenty of meat and vegetables, and a dessert of 
pastr}'. They sat sometimes two hours at the table, and there 
was always pleasant conversation going on. The General and 
Mrs. Washington entertained people daily, and many notable 
persons were their guests while they occupied the old man- 
sion. 

The room on the left side of the house and opposite the 
study, was Mrs. Washington's recepdon room, where all their 
honored guests were welcomed. Benjamin Franklin was a visi- 
tor, and called there on business in regard to the "new establish- 
ment of the Continental army." General Greene, too, was a 
guest, and had the honor of an introduction to Franklin, on the 
first evening of his arrival. 

In the spring of 1776, Washington left the Vassall house. 
His duties then called him to New York and, during the years 
following, the batdes of the Revolutionary war wei»e chiefly 
fought in the Middle States. He must have had pleasant memo- 
ries of his home in Cambridge, for when he came to Boston, as 
President of the United States, he spared the time to visit once 
more his old headquarters. The Middlesex militia turned out 
in force to greet their loved commander, and gave him a fitting 
military salute, as they stood in review on Cambridge Com- 
mon. 

The next occupant of the mansion was Nathaniel Tracy, who 
moved there from Newburyport. He is said to have fitted out 




GEORGE WASHINGTON. 



132 STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 

the first armed vessel from America, to act as a privateer in 
pursuing the enemy's sliips. He kept up the old time hospi- 
tality, and once entertained Benedict Arnold, when the latter 
was a loyal officer in the American army, and had not yet earned 
the name of traitor by wiiich he is now known. 

A Boston merchant, by the name of Thomas Russell, was 
the next inmate of this famous house. He was certainly rather 
extravagant in his tastes as well as eccentric, for it is said that 
he once ate a sandwich made of a hundred-dollar note, placed 
between two slices of bread. 

In the year 1791, Dr. Andrew Craigie, who during the war 
held the office of apothecary general in the army, purchased 
the house and one hundred acres of land surrounding it. He 
was active in his profession during the war, and was a surgeon 
at the Battle of Bunker Hill. After peace was declared and he 
settled in the town, he became a prominent member in the com- 
pany which built the bridge between Cambridge and Boston, and 
which now bears his name. 

It was his privilege also to entertain two notable guests in 
his house. One of them was the famous Talleyrand, who was 
such a conspicuous character in Napoleon's time ; the other 
guest was the Duke of Kent, the son of George the Fourth, and 
the father of the present Qiieen Victoria. The latter came to 
Boston with his suite, and used to drive about with a handsome 
pair of bay horses. They probabl}' bore him out to the house of 
Mr. Craigie, when he made the visit to w^hich reference has been 
made. Meeting with pecuniar}' losses, Mr. Craigie sold the 
greater part of his land, before his death, but his widows contin- 
ued to occupy the house for some time after that event. 

Mr. Jared Sparks, who was a literary man, next occupied the 
house, moving into it in 1833, a few months after his marriage. 
He was engaged upon a book, entitled the "Writings of George 



AN OLD HISTORIC MANSION. 



133 



Washington," when he entered the house, and he arranged 
some of tlie letters of the general for publication in the very 
room where they were originally written. 

Edward Everett, the celebrated statesman and orator, who 
was a close student of Washington's character, also lived in this 
house a short time after 
his marriage, while he 
was a professor in Har- 
vard College. After his 
removal it was succes- 
sively occupied by Wil- 
lard Phillips and Joseph 
Emerson Worcester. 
Mr. Worcester's name 
has become familiar to 
all students through his 
dictionary. 

In the year 1837, ^^i*^ 
most beloved and hon- 
ored, perhaps, of all its 
inmates, Henry Wads- 
worth Longfellow, took 
up his residence there. 
He was a professor in 
the college at the time, 

and one day while passing the house, he was so attracted by its 
cozy, homelike appearance, that he resolved to apply there for 
lodgings. His touch upon the ponderous knocker brought a 
servant to the door, and he was soon ushered into the presence 
of Mrs. Craigie, who for some years previous had occupied her 
house, and lodged college students. She is described as grave 
and dignitied in her manner, and the turban which surmounted 




HENRY WADSWUKTII LONGFELLOW. 



134 STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 

her head, gave her a stately look, as she came to meet Mr. 
Longfellow. 

Upon his application for a room she replied, " I lodge stu- 
dents no longer." "But I am not a student," replied Mr. 
Longfellow, "but a professor,"' and he introduced himself as 
"Professor Longfellow." "That is different," replied the old 
lady, "I will show you what there is." 

She took him over the house, and at almost every room she 
said that it could not be spared. When she showed him the 
southeast room, remarking that it was the one which General 
Washington had occupied, she surprised him b}' saving that he 
could have that one if he wished. The ver}^ next da}^ he took 
up his lodgings there, and two at least of his most noted poems, 
"Hyperion " and "Voices of the Night," are said to have been 
written in this room. Very many of his other poems were writ- 
ten in this house, for, after his marriage to a daughter of Nathan 
Appleton, that gentleman purchased the house, and presented 
it to his daughter. 

Mr. Longfellow was so fond of the prospect of the Charles 
River and its beautiful meadows that were in view from tlie 
front of the house, that he purchased a large tract there, so that 
it might always be kept open. Here in this house he spent a 
long and useful life, seeing a noble group of sons and daugh- 
ters growing up about him. 

A tragedy occurred one day in this beautiful home, which 
ever after saddened the poet's life. His wife was making seals 
for the amusement of her vounger children, when a bit of the 
burning wax fell into her lap, igniting her light muslin dress, 
and she was almost instantly enveloped in flames. Mr. Long- 
fellow himself was severely burned in trying to extinguish the 
fire. His efforts were of no avail however, for his wife was so 
dreadfully burned that her death occurred soon after. She was 



AN OLD HISTORIC MANSION. 135 

buried on the anniversary of their wedding-da}'. Her husband 
bravely tried to take up his work again, but his whole after life 
bore the impress of his great sorrow. 

It was a ver}' pleasant occasion when, on the 27th of Feb- 
ruary, 1879, ^^'hi*^!"* ^V'^'^^ the seventy-second anni\'ersary of the 
poet's birthday, the children of Cambridge made him a visit and 
presented him wath a chair, manufactured from the wood of the 
chestnut tree made famous in the poem of "The Village Black- 
smith." For some years Mr. Longfellow appeared to be in de- 
clining health, and this called forth such an affectionate regard 
from his friends, that his seventy-tifth birthday was celebrated 
not only in Massachusetts, but all over the country. 

Mr. Longfellow was always courteous to visitors, especially 
to young people. His last guests were two lads from Boston, 
who came to visit him on the i8th of March, 1882, at his 
express invitation. He treated them with the utmost kindness, 
showing them the objects of interest which the house contained, 
and each went home the proud owner of the poet's autograph 
in his album. Without doubt these boys will ever treasure this 
visit as one of the happiest events in their lives. 

Mr. Longfellow was taken ill on that same day, and his 
death occurred not long after. His house is now occupied by 
the members of his family, and will always be regarded as a 
sacred shrine by the people. In fact, this old historic mansion 
is now less memorable as the headquarters of Washington, than 
for being the home of Longfellow, the beloved poet, whose 
name is loved and honored the world over. 



136 STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 



CHAPTER XV. 

BUNKER HIEL AND ITS MONUMENT. 

It is well known that Bunker Hill was not the real place of 
the battle that bears its name, but that Breed's Hill, a short dis- 
tance from it, was the scene of the encounter. The battle was 
given the name of the first hill, however, and probabh' will 
always retain it in histor}-. Tiiis conflict might be called with 
truth a victorious defeat, for although the Americans were 
obliged to retreat, on account of the failure of their ammuni- 
tion, they fought so bravely, and left so many of the enemy 
dead on the field, that England mav well have begun to realize 
with what a determined foe she had to deal. 

The very flower of the British army left Boston on the 17th 
of June, 1775, and we can imagine with what a proud and 
defiant step they marched to attack the small band of patriots, 
who, with no previous training in arms, were intrenclied on the 
hill. They wore brilliant scarlet uniforms and their weapons 
were highly polished, and shone resplendent in the sun. Thev 
carried gav banners indicating the name of their regiment, and 
no doubt they felt greatlv superior to their foes. 

One of these regiments, the Welsh Fusileers, had fought in 
many a battle in Europe, and was regarded as almost invin- 
cible. 

It was a cvu-ious custom of this regiment, on the ist of 
March, which was their St. David's day, to give an entertain- 
ment to all their Welsh friends. The health of the Prince of 



BUNKRR HILL AND ITS MONUMENT. 



137 




BUNKER HILL MONUMENT. 



1^.8 



STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 



Wales was drunk, and after the cloth was removed, a goat was 
brought in, richly decked and with gilded horns. A drummer 
boy was then seated on his back, and he was led around the 

table three times by the 
drum-major. 

This anniversary oc- 
curred while the regiment 
was garrisoned in Boston, 
and this time the goat be- 
haved very badly. He gave 
a sudden spring, we are told, 
and threw his rider upon the 
table, then, taking a flying 
leap over some of the of- 
ficers' heads, he fled to the 
barracks. As he tore along 
the streets with his rich trap- 
pings and gilded horns, the 
boys and girls of Boston, as 
well as their elders, must 
have had great fun at the 
expense of the Welsh Fu- 
sileers, whom he had thus 
ignominiously treated. 

At the battle of Bunker 
Hill the bullets were so 
scarce that Colonel Prescott, 
who was in command, or- 
dered the Americans not to 
hre till they saw the whites 
of their opponents' eyes. The spirited bronze statue of Pres- 
cott, by Story, represents him in the act of giving this direction. 




IV. W. Story. 

prescott's statue. 



BUNKEK HILL AND ITS MONUMENT. 



139 



The delay thus caused aroused at first insuUing remarks from 
their foes; but the words, ''They dare not fire," were answered 
by a volley of musketry, which mowed down the British front 
ranks like grain before the reaper. When other regiments, 
one after another, shared the same fate, the British probably 
began to realize of 
w^hat metal the Amer- 
icans were made. 

There \v as a 
dreadful slaughter of 
British officers at the 
battle, and the army 
no longer regarded 
the Americans with 
contempt. Before 
the battle began, 
some one asked Gen- 
eral Gage if the reb- 
els would stand fire. 
" Yes," the general 
replied, if one John 
Stark is there, for 
he is a brave fellow\" 
It was a gallant fight 
though not a victory, 
and served to inspire 




GENERAL JOSEPH WARREN. 



the patriot hearts all over the land. It has always been a dis- 
puted point as to who was first in command at the battle. 
There were five brave men, Prescott, Warren, Pomeroy, Put- 
nam and Stark, who held posts of command at the different 
points. They all did heroic service, and one of them lost his 
life, in defense of the liberty for which he had so eloquently 



140 STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 

pleaded. When the order for retreat came, Warren heard it 
with regret, and he lingered so long in his exposed position, that 
he fell mortally wounded. His last words were, " Fight on, 
my brave fellows, for the salvation of your country." 

There was not a conflict during the Revolutionary war, e\en 
when the Americans were victorious, that stirred the patriotic 
sentiments of the country like this, and Massachusetts was 
proud that Bunker Hill was wdthin her borders. 

For some time the famous battle-ground was cultivated, and 
large crops of hemp were raised there. But at length the order 
of Freemasons thought it was high time to commemorate the 
death of their brave Grand Master, Joseph Warren, and to 
place some mark of honor on his grave. So King Solomon's 
Lodge of Charlestown, in 1794, raised upon the spot a Tuscan 
monument of wood. It was twenty-eight feet in height, and 
was surmounted by a gilded urn. On this was engraved the 
initials of Warren, and grouped about it were appropriate Ma- 
sonic emblems. On one side of the base was the following in- 
scription : — 

ERECTED A.D. 1794. 

By King Solomon's Lodge ok Freemasons, 

Constituted in Charlestown, 1783. 

in memory of 

MAJOR GENERAL JOSEPH WARREN AND HIS ASSOCIATES, 

Who were Slain on this Memorable Spot June 17, 1775. 

NONE but they WHO SET A JUST VALUE ON THE BLESSING OF LIBERTY ARE 
worthy to ENJOY HER. IN VAIN WE TOILED, IN VAIN WE FOUGHT; 

we bled in vain, if you, our offspring, want valor 
to repel the assaults of her invaders. 

Charlestown Settled, 1628. Burnt, 1775. Rebuilt, 1776. 

THE inclosed LAND GIVEN BY HON. JAMES RUSSELL. 

This monument stood for thirty years, but as it was built of 
such perishable material, by that time it had become almost a 



BUNKER HILL AND ITS MONUMENT I4I 

ruin, and was grown so shabby, that people thought something 
more suitable ought to take its place. William Tudor of Bos- 
ton was the tlrst to speak of the project, and in course of time 
others became interested, among whom was Daniel Webster. 
So, one day in the house of Thomas H. Perkins, three men, 
William Tudor, William Sullix'an, and George Blake, met and 
consulted with each other, as to what steps ought to be taken to 
erect a suitable monument upon Bunker Hill. 

As the land was in danger of being sold. Dr. John C. 
Warren, a grandson of the general, purchased three acres of 
the land on the summit of the hill, and thus the sacred spot was 
secured. Finally a society was formed and regularly incorpo- 
rated, called the Bunker Hill Monument Association, and Gov- 
ernor Brooks was chosen its lirst president. Different people 
were called upon to make designs, and a premium was offered 
for the best one. Fifty plans were sent in, and the first commit- 
tee could not atrree as to which was the most suitable. Another 
committee was chosen, and they decided upon building a simple 
ijranite obelisk. 

Horatio Greenough, then an undergraduate of Harvard, has 
the honor of making the design which, with a little alteration, 
was finally adopted. Samuel Willard was the architect of the 
structure, and it stands as one of his best designs. He w^as a 
true patriot, and w^ould consent to receive only a small sum for 
his services. These were invaluable, for he selected and se- 
cured the quarr}' of granite from which the stone was taken, 
and contributed money himself for the work. 

It was decided to la}^ the corner stone with grand and im- 
posing ceremonies. General Lafayette w^as visiting in the 
United States at the time, and he w-as invited to be present. 
The 17th of June, 1825, was the da^' appointed for the exer- 
cises, and although immense crowds of people gathered there. 



142 STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 

it was a peaceful army which invaded Charlestown on that day. 
There was a good display of the militar}-, and the civil officers 
made a fine appearance. 

The most interesting members of the procession were the 
forty veteran survivors of the battle. Those who were able 
marched in the ranks, while the aged and feeble were carried 
in barouches. They w^ere hailed with hearty cheers as they 
passed, and were greeted with the waving of handkerchiefs all 
along the line. One of the soldiers was proud to stand in the 
presence of the crowd, and show to them the battle-stained 
clothes which he had worn on the great day. 

Another old veteran, Knight Sprague of Leicester, Mass., 
though aged and infirm, felt that he could not be denied the 
privilege of being present, so his son brought him to Charles- 
town in a comfortable chaise. He rode in one of the barouches, 
and, though bowed nearly double, he insisted on getting out of 
the vehicle, and laying his hand upon the corner stone of the 
monument, so that he could tell of this act to his grandchildren. 
He was a soldier in the French and Indian War, and at the 
Massacre of Fort William Henry, he was nearlv stripped of his 
clothing by the Indians, and barely escaped with his life. He 
loved to tell of these scenes of his earh' life, but nothing stirred 
his heart like living over the events of tlie Battle of Bunker Hill 
in which he took part. 

The ceremonv of the laying of the corner stone was per- 
formed by King Solomon's Lodge, with the assistance of Daniel 
Webster and the Marquis de Lafavette. There was a large 
amphitheater built on the side of the hill, and here Mr. Webster 
delivered a fine oration. Afterward a banquet was served, and 
thus ended the exercises of a most memorable day. 

Many difficulties were encountered in the building of the 
monument, and sometimes there w'ere long delays on account 



BUNKER HILL AND ITS MONUMENT. 



143 



of the want of funds. The association that was erecting it was 
obliged to sell some of the land originally given, in order to 
raise money, and it was decided to lessen the height of the monu- 
ment, in order to save expense. But the patriotic women of the 
state came to the 
rescue, and organ- 
ized and held a 
fair in the hall of 
the Quincy Mar- 
ket in Boston, 
which proved a 
great success. At 
this fair the large 
sum of thirt}' thou- 
sand dollars was 
raised, and it was 
decided to go on 
and construct the 
monument after 
ihe original plan. 
It was a haz- 
ardous thing to 
place the cap- 
stone, weighing 
two an d a h a 1 i 
tons, upon a struc- 
ture two hundred 
and twentv-five 
feet in height, but, ascending with the stone, a skillful rigger 
of Boston had the honor of performing this daring feat. This 
last stone was raised on Julv 23, 1S42, but the dedication of the 
monument did not take place until June 17, 1843. Daniel Web- 




PAXiri. WEBSTER. 



144 



STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 



ster delivered the oration and it was a masterly efl'ort, adding 
much to the fame of the great orator. 

The grounds around the monument have been inclosed by 
an iron fence-^ and are beautifully kept. Only a faint line show- 
ing the old intrenchment is now visible, but a stone marks the 
place, and also the spot where General Warren fell. A winding 
stair within the monument takes people from the base to the 
top, from which there is a fine view of the surrounding country. 

In this lofty chamber there are two small brass cannon, which 
have been named Hancock and Adams, for the patriot heroes 
of Massachusetts. The}^ were secretly taken from the British 
in 1775? and when the Monument Association was formed, they 
were presented to that body. They thought that the granite 
chamber at the top of the great shaft was the appropriate place 
in which to keep them. Thousands of people from this country 
and other lands visit this spot every year, and many think the 
view amply repays them for climbing to the top of the great 
obelisk. 




FLAG USED BY THE NEW ENGLAND TROOPS AT THE BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL. 



THE BOYHOOD AND YOUTH OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 



M5 



CHAPTER XVI. 



THE BOYHOOD AND YOUTH OF BENJAMIN FRANKEIN. 







HOUSE WHERE FRANKLIN 
WAS BORN. 



One of tlie most honored sons of Massachu- 
setts was Benjamin Frankhn, who was 
born in Boston on Jan. 17, 1706. The 
house where he first saw the Hght was 
a small and humble dwelling of wood, 
which stood near the head of Milk 
Street. He had a large number of 
brothers and sisters, for his father's 
family consisted of ten sons and seven 
daughters. Benjamin was the young- 
est of these sons, and in an account of 
his life whicli he w'rote, he speaks of it as a remarkable fact, 
that of these seventeen children, all of them lived to grow up 
and be married. 

His father, Josiah Franklin, was a wool-dyer by trade. He 
learned his trade in England where he married his first wife, 
and where three of his children were born. Like so many oth- 
ers of his countr3men he grew tired of the oppressive laws of 
his native land, and emigrated to America with his family in 
1685. After the death of his wife, in due time he was married 
again to Miss Abiah Folger of Nantucket, and this good woman 
was the mother of Benjamin. 

Finding that his trade of wool-dving would not support his 
family, he went into business for himself as a tallow-chandler 



146 STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 

and soap boiler. He had wisely given all of his other sons a 
trade, but as Benjamin had learned to read at such an early age, 
and was so fond of books, he resolved to try and give him an 
education. But he found that his circumstances would not 
admit of it, and so the lad was only permitted to go to school a 
short time. He entered the grammar class when eight years 
old, and two years later, his father, who had already removed 
him from school, set him to work in his own shop. His occu- 
pation now "was cutting candle-wicks and fitting them to the 
molds, tending shop, and running upon errands." 

This work was not at all suited to the boy's taste, and as he 
lived near the wharves where ships were constantly coming and 
going, he began to have a longing to get away from the chan- 
dler's and go to sea. But he stayed on for two years longer, 
although disliking the work more and more as time went by. 
His father, seeing his aversion to the business, and his desire 
for a seafaring life, wisely took him around into the different 
shops of the town, and let him see the men at their work. He 
hoped in this way that Benjamin might see some trade which he 
would like to learn. Benjamin enjoyed these visits much and 
said " it was ever after a pleasure to see a good workman at 
his tools." 

His father thought at first that he would have him learn to 
be a cutter, but at length decided upon placing him in the office 
of one of his brothers, where he could become a printer. So at 
the age of twelve years, Benjamin was regularly apprenticed to 
James Franklin, until he was twenty-one years of age. This 
proved to be a wise choice, for he liked his work, and soon be- 
came exceedingly useful to his brother. He was so fond of 
reading, that he began in his early boyhood to save money for 
the purpose of buying books. His first purchase was a cheap 
set of Bunyan's works, and after he had become master of their 



THE BOYHOOD AND YOUTH OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 



147 



contents, he sold them, and with the money bought books on 
history and biography, of which he was fond. His father had a 
few good books ; most of them, however, were works on divinity, 
which was rather dry reading for a boy. " Plutarch's Lives " 
was among this collection, and he read these with avidity, be- 
sides some essays which he thought exerted a good influence on 
his after life. 

Franklin seemed fortu 
attracting the attention oJ 
who could aid him in his 
for knowledge. Matthew 
ams, a merchant of the ne; 
hood, came frequently 
printing-oflice, and 
took much notice of 
Benjamin. He 
kindly invited him, 
not only to visit his libi 
but offered to lend hii 
of the books it contained. 

About this time Franklin 
showed a propensity for verse 
making, and his brother 
rather encouraged it. He wrote two ballads, called, " The 
Light-House Tragedv," w^hich told of the shipwreck of a 
captain and his two daughters, and the other, describing the 
capture of a pirate whom he named " Black Beard." 

His brother sent him out to sell these productions upon the 
street, though no one knew the author except his own family. 
As the first ballad sang of an actual occurrence of recent date, 
it sold rapidly and the voung poet was no doubt much elated. 
His father however criticised the poem severely, and assured 




AN OI.D-TIMK PRINTING PRESS. 



148 STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 

his son that, '' verse makers were generally beggars." But 
although discouraged about writing poetry, Benjamin deter- 
mined if possible to become a good writer of prose. He came 
across some copies of the " Spectator," and put himself in 
training by reading the essays in it again and again, and then 
writing them down from memory, and comparing them with 
the original. In this way he learned the proper construction 
of sentences, and really formed in time a good literary style of 
his own. 

Franklin had now reached the age of sixteen, and about this 
time was much impressed with a book which he read, advocat- 
ing a vegetable diet as being more healthful, and better adapted 
to the wants of the human frame than any other. He decided 
to adopt this mode of living, and ha\'ing learned from the book 
how to prepare sundry dishes, he gained his brother's consent 
to provide for himself. 

The latter, at Benjamin's request, gave him for this pur- 
pose, only half of what he had usually paid for his board. In 
regard to this arrangement he says, "I presently found that I 
could save half what he paid me. This was an additional fund 
for buying books ; but I had another advantage in it. My brother 
and the rest going from the printing house to their meals, I re- 
mained there alone, and dispatching presently my light repast 
(which was often no more than a biscuit, or a slice of bread, a 
handful of raisins, or a tart from the pastry cook's and a glass of 
water), had the rest of the time, till their return, for study." In 
this noon hour, on account of his ignorance of figures, he took 
up Cocker's Arithmetic, and, as he writes, " went through the 
whole myself with the greatest ease." He also studied naviga- 
tion and dipped into geometrv. An English Grammar w^hich 
came in his way he studied with avidity, for he still had an in- 
tense desire to become a writer. 



THE BOYHOOD AND YOUTH OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. I49 

His brother, James Franklin, although advised by his friends 
not to make the venture, began publishing " The New England 
Courant," on the 21st of August, 1721. This was the fourth 
newspaper that had appeared in America, and as the people 
generally were fond of reading them, this one soon gained a 
good circulation. As the proprietor had several friends who 
contributed to his paper, and they frequently citme to the office 
on this business, Benjamin had a chance to get a few ideas in 
regard to writing for the press. As these communications were 
favorably received by their readers, he determined to write some 
articles himself. Fearing that his brother would instantly reject 
them if he knew of their authorship, he wrote in a disguised 
liand, and at night pushed them under the printing house door. 

Mr. James Franklin found the first article, and showed it to 
some of his literary friends in Benjamin's presence. Their ap- 
proving remarks gave him as he says, " the exquisite pleasure 
of finding that it met with their approbation ; and that in their 
different guesses at the author, none were named but men of 
some character for learning and ingenuity." 

He continued writing these articles, all of which proved 
acceptable to the readers of the paper, until his stock of ideas 
gave out. When he avowed the authorship of the papers, his 
friends were surprised, and literary people thought him a boy of 
promising talent. But his brother, although he tried at lirst to 
hide his feelings, was filled with envy at the lad's success, and 
from that time he ill-treated him in many ways. He often 
required mean services of him, and sometimes went so far as 
to beat him. This harsh treatment of his brother may have 
caused the deep hatred of tyranny which he ever after cher- 
ished. 

The publisher of the " Courant" injudiciously allowed satiri- 
cal articles to appear sometimes in his paper. They not only 



150 STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 

made fun of the follies of the day, but attacked persons belong- 
ing both to civil and political circles. One of these articles so 
offended the colonial governor that he ordered James Franklin 
arrested. The decision was a harsh one, for without a regular 
trial, or any legal proof against him, he was sent to prison. 
After his term there expired, he was forbidden any longer to 
publish the paper. During his brother's confinement, Benja- 
min conducted it with much ability, and upon his release, his 
brother formed a scheme to continue publishing it in his name. 
For this purpose James signed a paper releasing him from his 
apprenticeship, and this was to be shown if any question should 
arise as to the young man's right to transact the business. 
Another indenture however, a secret one, was made out for 
the unexpired term, for James Franklin had no idea of losing 
the services of such a valuable brother. It was a "flimsy 
scheme," as Benjamin expressed it, and although the paper 
was carried on for some months in this way, no doubt his soul 
revolted at this dishonest way of doing business. 

As his brother still continued to ill-treat him, Benjamin 
resolved to leave him. Finding no situation in Boston, owing 
to his brother's evil influence, and his father also taking sides 
against him, he decided to leave secretly for New York. He 
induced a friend to engage his passage in a vessel that was 
about to sail, and sold some of his books to pay his passage. 
There was a fair wind for their voyage, and in three days this 
boy of seventeen found himself in New York, as he says, 
"without the least recommendation, or knowledge of any per- 
son in the place, and very little money in my pocket." 

He could have found plenty of chances there to go to sea, 
if he had still been of that mind, but he had long since given 
up the idea, and determined to seek employment at his trade. 
He applied to Mr. William Bradford, the most prominent 



THE BOYHOOD AND YOUTH OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 15I 

printer at that time in the cit}-. Mr. Bradford was not needing 
help himself, but he told Franklin that his son, who was in the 
same business in Philadelphia, had recently lost a journeyman, 
and might like to engage him. This decided Franklin to start 
forthwith for the Quaker City, and this he did by embarking in 
a sailboat for Amboy. He had a rough voyage, and all on 
board received a good drenching before they reached land. 

At Burlington he knew that there was a boat which sailed 
on certain days for Philadelphia, and he set out to walk to that 
place. Having pushed on to within ten miles of it he stayed 
over one night to rest, and the next morning, which was Satur- 
day, he started on refreshed, but had the disappointment of 
findincr when he reached Burlin<^ton, that the vessel had sailed 
only a little while before. On his way to the landing, he had 
stopped at the house of a woman who sold gingerbread, and 
bought some for his lunch. Remembering her kind face, he 
went back, and told her of his dilemma, and she kindly offered 
to lodge him until he could procure a passage to Philadelphia, 
and he gladly accepted tlie proposal. He expected to stay with 
her until the next Tuesday, but towards night as he was walk- 
ing by the river, he saw a boat on its way there, and took pas- 
sage in her. 

He landed at the Market Street wharf about nine o'clock the 
next morning, and his appearance as he walked up the city he 
thus describes: "I was in mv working dress, my best clothes 
coming round bv sea. I was dirty from being so long on the 
boat ; my pockets were stuffed out with shirts and stockings, 
and I knew no one, nor where to look for lodging. Fatigued 
with walking, rowing, and the want of sleep, I was very hungry ; 
and my whole stock of cash consisted of a single dollar, and 
about a shilling in copper coin, which I gave to the boatmen for 
my passage." 



152 



STORIES OF THE OLD BAV STATE. 



Leaving the boat he walked up into the city, and met a boy 
carrying some loaves of bread. He asked where he bought 
them, and upon being directed to a bakehouse nearb}-, Frank- 
lin thought he would purchase some for himself, as he had often 
made a good meal upon dry bread. The baker had no biscuit 
such as they make in Boston, so he asked for three pence worth 

of bread. This the baker 
gave -him in the shape 
of three " great pufty 
rolls." His pockets were 
stuffed so full, that there 
was no room for them 
there, and he had no 
bag, so he started off up 
Market Street with a roll 
under each arm, and eat- 
ing the one he held in 
his hand. While in this 
plight he passed the 
house of a Mr. Read. 
Miss Read, who chanced 
to be standing in the 
doorwa}', was mucli 
amused at his appear- 
ance. She little thought that the youth who so excited her 
mirth was destined to be her future husband. 

Having satisfied his own hunger with one of the rolls, 
Franklin gave the other two to a woman and her child, who 
were about taking passage in a boat. 

Franklin was wont to study faces, that he might read the 
character of people in that way. As he was passing up the 
street, he asked a 3^oung Qiuiker whose face he liked, where 




YOUNG FRANKLIN LAUGHED AT BY HIS 
FUTURE WIFE. 



THE BOYHOOD AND YOUTH OF BENJAMIN ERANKTJN. I53 

he could procure ;i lodging. The Q^iaker directed him to a 
taYcrn \Yith the odd name of '• The Crooked Billet," where he 
obtained a good dinner and a comfortable night's rest. His 
best clothing had not yet arrived, but he made himself as neat 
as possible under the circumstances, and went out to find 
employment at his trade. lie called iirst upon Mr. Andrew 
Bradford, and when he reached his oflice, he \vas surprised 
to Ihid there that gentleman's father, the very one who had 
directed him hither. Beniamin was instantly recognized bv 
the old gentleman, and given by him a hearty breakfast. He 
was kindh' introduced to the son, but the latter having just 
liired a journeyman, did not need any more help at present. 
He directed the lad, however, to a Mr. Kiemer, and the elder 
Bradford kindh' went wdth Benjamin to see him. 

Becoming satisfied that the young applicant for work was 
well acquainted with the business, Kiemer hired him, and Ben- 
jamin settled down to regular hours in the printing otfice. His 
master procured board for him at the house of Mr. Read, and 
he says in regard to this arrangement, " my chest of clothes 
being come, I made a rather more respectable appearance in 
the eyes of Miss Read, than I had done when she first happened 
to see me eating my roll in the street." 

Not long after this, Benjamin received a letter from a brother- 
in-law, Mr. Holmes, who had learned .of the boy's address in 
Philadelphia. It told him of the sorrow of his parents and 
other relatives over his secret departure from home, and assured 
him that their affection for him was still the same. This was 
good news, and when the opportunity came, a few months later, 
Benjamin returned to Boston and was most kindly received by the 
family. After hearing his reasons for leaving in the \vay he did, 
they entirel}' forgave him, and when he returned to Philadelphia, 
as he did soon after, he went with his parents' blessing. 



154 



STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 



CHAPTER XVII. 



FRANKLIN, THi-. PHILOSOPHER AND STATESMAN. 



Benjamin FrANK- 
LiN in the course of 
his long life visited 
England and the con- 
tinent of Europe man}- 
times, on official busi- 
ness for the colonies, 
or on matters relating 
to public affairs. His 
first visit to England, 
however, was in his 
own interest, and its 
result taught him by 
bitter experience 
never again to rely 
upon appearances, or 
trust implicitly to an- 
other's profession of 
friendship. 

While employed 

at Kiemer's printing 

office in Philadelphia, he was surprised one day by a visit from 

Sir William Keith, who was then governor of Pennsylvania. 

He spoke to Franklin with the utmost courtesy of manner, and 




BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 



FRANKLIN, THE PHILOSOPHER AND STATESMAN. 1 55 

after talking with him a while, he invited him over to the neigh- 
boring tavern for refreshment. While conversing there, the 
governor proposed that his guest should open a printing office, 
and go into business for himself. He promised to write to 
Franklin's father for his consent and assistance, and assured 
him that he .would aid him in ever}' possible way. Later on, 
he gave Franklin letters, as he said, to influential friends in 
London, and urged that he go there without delay, and these 
friends would assist him in purchasing presses and all neces- 
sary articles for the business. 

Thinking himself a most fortunate young man to be thus 
favored by one so high in authoritv, Franklin in due time 
sailed for England upon this business. When he arrived there, 
and presented these letters of Sir William's to the persons to 
whom the}' were addressed, he was chagrined and bitterly disap- 
pointed to find that they were worthless. They were not WT'itten 
by the governor, but by one who had proved himself such a 
rascal, that the receiver of the first letter upon seeing his signa- 
ture, gave it back to Franklin unread. Sir William was a vain, 
smooth-tongued person, who liked to assume the character of 
patron, and pretend to be prodigal of favors, and so this deceit- 
ful and unprincipled man sent Franklin across the ocean on a 
fool's errand. 

But he made the best of the situation, and forthwith set out 
to find employment at his trade in London. In this he was 
successful, and soon was comfortably established in a printing 
house there. He was enabled to do much good to his fellow- 
workmen, by urging them to habits of temperance, and being 
himself a total abstainer, he set them a good example. 

He remained there about eighteen months when Mr. Den- 
ham, a merchant of Philadelphia, who was in London on busi- 
ness, offered him a clerkship in his employ. He gladly accepted 



156 STORIES OF THE- OLD BAY STATE. 

and soon in company with that gentleman, he sailed for the 
Quaker City, and remained in his employ until Mr. Denham's 
death, which occurred in a little more than a year after. 

Not finding; another situation as clerk, Franklin returned to 
the printing house of Kiemer. He had learned a great deal 
abroad, and soon proved himself more competent than his mas- 
ter. In due time, he entered into partnership with another 
young printer, and they set up business for themselv^es. Frank- 
lin's marked ability and excellent character soon brought him 
into favorable notice, and he was looked upon as a rising young 
man. 

The desire to become a writer had never left him, and he 
began sending contributions to the papers, upon various sub- 
jects. These articles attracted much attention, and as he w^as 
not afraid to attack quite freel}' some acts of certain leading men 
of the city, his patrons reproved him for his course. He heard 
them calmly and then invited these disaffected people to take 
supper with him. The table was neatly laid, but the only food 
upon it was a huge dish of Indian pudding made of unbolted 
meal, called "sawdust,'' and a jug of water. His guests were 
surprised and disgusted at this fare, but as their host ate freely 
of it, and with apparent relish, they tried to do the same. It 
was hard work however, and Franklin seeing their confusion, 
arose and thus addressed them : " My friends, he who can live 
on sawdust pudding and water, as I can, is not dependent on 
any man's patronage." 

This was indeed true, for he gained steadilv in favor and 
grew prosperous in business. The secret of this we learn from 
his own words. ''In order to secure my credit and character 
as a tradesman, I took care not only to be in reality industrious 
and frugal, but to a\'oid even appearances to the contrary. I 
dressed plain, and was seen at no place of idle diversion. To 



FRANKLIN, THE PHILOSOPHER AND STATESMAN. 1 57 

show that I was not above my business, I sometimes brought 
home the paper I purchased at the stores, through the streets on 
a wheelbarrow."' l^y so doing it was no wonder that he ''went 
on prosperously." 

Owning the house, in the second story of which was his 
printing office, he was in a position to marry, and his union with 
Miss Read took place on the istof September, 1730. "As they 
mutually endeavored to make each other happy," their domes- 
tic relations were of the most pleasant character. 

A literary work of Franklin's which gained for him a wide 
reputation was ''Poor Richard's Almanac." The Hrst number 
was issued on the 19th of December, 1732, and it made its annual 
appearance for t\venty-ti\'e 3'ears. It was full of proverbs and 
quaint sayings, among which was the apt one, '• It is hard for 
an empty sack to stand upright.'' When the almanac was dis- 
continued, these maxims were collected and put into the form of 
a discourse, entitled, "The Way to Wealth." This was not 
only published in all the colonial papers of the day, but found 
its way to England and France, and was even translated into 
modern Greek, and distributed among that people. 

Franklin delighted in philosophical research, and in 1744 
he organized a society which included nearly all the scientific 
men of the time. After a while it joined witii a similar body, 
and w^as known as "The American Philosophical Society held 
at Philadelphia, for the Promotion of Useful Knowledge." 
In company with these friends he made many philosophical ex- 
periments, and by discovering the positive and liegative condi- 
tions of bodies, he was able to explain the phenomena of the 
Ley.den jar, which had so long baffled the scientific world. 

In the summer of 1748, he closed the season's work, by 
arranging for his friends a most unique gathering on the banks 
of the Schuvlkill. It m'urht have been called an " electrical 



158 STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 

picnic," for the performances they were to expect were thus 
described by him : "A turkey is to be killed for our dinner, by 
an electric shocks and roasted by the electrical jack, before a 
fire kindled by the electrical bottle, when the healths of all the 
famous electricians of England, Holland, France, and Ger- 
many are to be drunk, in electrical blunders, under the dis- 
charge of guns from an electrical battery.'''' 

Franklin's experiments in this line went steadily on, until in 
June, 1752, he put in practice an idea of his own, and by send- 
ing up a kite with steel points into a thunder cloud, he actually 
brought the lightning down to earth. This added to the fame 
he had alread}^ achieved, and gave him the first place among 
the electrical scientists of the age. 

His sagacity in public affairs was duly recognized by his 
countrymen, and he was given many important commissions. 
In 1753, he was appointed postmaster-general of the colonies, 
and, by his wise management, the postal service, from being an 
expense to the government, became the source of a good reve- 
nue. During the first year of his appointment, he visited Bos- 
ton on postal business, and while there Harvard College con- 
ferred upon him the degree of Master of Arts, an honor that 
Yale had already bestowed on him. 

But no acts of his life shed more luster upon his name, than 
his patriotic efforts in behalf of the liberties of the colonies. He 
was in England at the time when Parliament was discussing the 
subject of the Stamp Act, and he did all in his power to per- 
suade them that it would be a ruinous measure for the colonies. 

The House of Commons, with a desire to learn, if possible, 
the truth about the matter, summoned Franklin and others of his 
countrymen before them for an examination. They questioned 
them in regard to the ""population, pursuits, trade, resources, 
taxes, and sentiments regarding their connection with the mother 



FRANKLIN, THE PHILOSOPHER AND STATESMAN. 



159 



country ; in short, in whatever might properly bear upon the 
question, not merely of the Stamp Act, but the general policy 
to be adopted toward the colonies." 

This examination was held on the 3d of February, 1766, 
and was a severe ordeal for Franklin to pass through. But as 




FRANKLIN AND THE QUEEN OF FRANCE. 

his biographer records, "Franklin showed himself in all re- 
spects equal to the occasion. Self-collected and firm, yet with 
a modest dignity of deportment, he gave his answers with a 
readiness, perspicuity, directness, and manly boldness, which 
took his adversaries by surprise, and, while it commanded their 
respect, raised the admiration and affection of his friends to 
enthusiasm." 



i6o 



STORIES OF THE OLD BAV STATE. 



His strong and truthfnl answers to the one hundred and sev- 
enty-four questions, were no doubt the main cause of the repeal 
of the act, which occurred not long after. 

Franklin's stay abroad was a prolonged one, and he did not 
reach home until the spring of 1775. His services were imme- 
diately required, for the next day after his arrival, he was ap- 
pointed "a delegate to the Second Continental Congress, and 
from that time he was " loaded with public business." He was 
one of the committee which drew up the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence, and he so modified some of 
the clauses, as to cause its adoption 
on July 4, 1776. 

In the war in which the colonies 
were soon deeply engaged, the}^ needed 
the sympathy and support of other na- 
tions, and it was decided by Congress 
to send commissioners to France, ask- 
^ ing for her assistance. Franklin and 
two other commissioners were sent 
over in the sloop of war, Reprisal, and 
reached Paris in December, 1776. His 
fame had preceded him, and he was cordially welcomed by the 
people, and received with the greatest honor by the court of 
France. It was truly said of him, '• His virtues and his renown 
negotiated for him ; and before the second year of his mission 
expired, no one conceived it possible to refuse fleets and an 
army to the compatriots of Franklin." 

He was appointed diplomatic minister to France, and bv a 
residence there was enabled to aid his country in many ways. 
He made the acquaintance at this time of the Marquis de Lafay- 
ette, and recommended him to Congress and to General Wash- 
ington, as one in whom they might place the utmost confidence. 




MARQUIS DE LAFAYETTE. 



FRAXKLIX, THE PIIIIJ )S0FI1I:R AND STATES>[A.\. 



l6l 



He had the satisfaction of seeing the young nobleman, with 
suitable oflicers, depart in a \essel of his own, to offer his ser- 
vices to America. 

The successful result of Franklin's mission <;ave new strength 
and courage to his struggling countr3'men, and & 

it is well known that the French fleet, in connec- 
tion with Washington's army, dealt the tinishing 
blow to the British army at Yorktown. 

When at length the independence of the 
United States was recognized, at Paris, Septem- 
ber 3d, 1783, Franklin, Adams, Jay, and Lau- 
rens, were the commissioners who signed the 
treaty on the part of the Americans. 

Franklin returned to his native coun- 
try, in 1785, and although in his eightieth 
year, he was elected governor of Penn- 
svlvania, and held that office for three 
successive terms. The closing 3'ears of 
his life were tranquil and happy, for he ^!«mp%^ 
lived with his daughter, and was blessed *^^^* 
with the love and companionship of her ~ 

children. Here in his own house he ^^^ 

could enjoy his books and his pleasant 
garden, and look back upon an honored 
and useful life. He never ceased to 
love his native state of Massachusetts, 
nor the citv of his birth. Remembering his early struggles 
there for an education, he left a fund for giving each year a 
certain number of medals to the boys of the Boston Grammar 
Schools ; also a fund for Trades Schools. By steady accu- 
mulation, the value of these united funds has increased from 
£1000 in 1 791 to ^475,000 at the present date. 




fran'klin's clock. 

Ninv in Philadelphia Library. 



l62 



STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



AN ECCENTRIC CHARACTER IN EAREY COLONIAL HISTORY 



We sometimes find, in real 
life, characters that are more 
peculiar than any we read of 
in the pages of fiction. Tim- 
othy Dexter, the subject of this 
story, was one of the queerest 
of men ; in fact his absurd do- 
ings would have done credit 
to Sancho Panza, the ridic- 
ulous squire of Don Qiiixote. 
He was born in Newbury- 
port in the year 1743, and prob- 
ably that was his home during 
his boyhood. We are not told 
of any of his early pranks, but 
as boys generall}' show out in 
some way the traits that mark 
their character as men, it is 
not unlikeh' that Timothy was 
known among his playfellows as a queer boy. His father, who 
it seems was a sensible man, required his son to learn the trade 
of a leather dresser. He learned it thoroughly, too, for quite 
early in life he set up business for himself in Charlestown. 

He really seemed to have a genius for making money, and 




TIMOTHY DEXTER. 



AN FCCEXTRIC CHARACTER IN EARLY COLONIAL HISTORY. 163 

prospered in his business from the Hrst. As his riches increased, 
he \vas ambitious to siiine in society, and hold the phice of a 
man of vveahh, and so he took upon himself a title, and wished 
to be known thereafter as Lord Timothy Dexter. He tried 
both in Boston and Salem to gain admission into wealthy circles 
throuo-h this title, but lie was unsuccessful. 





2 A 








HOUSE OF TIMOIHV DEXI KR. 



He then thought that his native town of Newburyport would 
be a good place in which to air his nobility, and make a display 
of his wealth. So he hunted about until he found two large and 
handsome houses, surrounded with ample grounds. One of 
these he sold at a large profit, and the other he proceeded to fit 
up as a palace for himself. This he did in the most ridiculous 
stvle we can imao;iiie. Besides other absurd ornaments on the 
exterior of the house, he placed a number of minarets on the 
roof, and on the tops of each of these were gilded balls. 



164 STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 

All around his garden he erected at regular distances, stat- 
ues of Adams, Jefferson, and others, carved in wood, and of the 
colossal height of fifteen feet. In front of his door he caused 
a Roman arch to be built, and upon this, as a place of honor, he 
erected the statue of Washington, His queerest freak in regard 
to these statues was his frequent change of their names. On 
one day perhaps Lord Nelson's name would be inscribed on a 
certain statue, and the next it would bear the name of Napo- 
leon. His own statue appeared among the others, and bore this 
grand sounding inscription, '•'I am the greatest man of the 
East." As there were fortv' of these lofty images about his 
grounds, we can imagine how ridiculous they must have looked. 

Besides these, he had four lions to guard, or rather to dis- 
figure, the premises. Two of them w^ere in a crouching position, 
as though preparing to spring upon their prey, and two were 
passively standing and gazing upon the scene. All of these 
wooden monsters, of man and beast, cost tljeir owner fifteen 
thousand dollars, which was certainly an extra\'agant waste of 
money. 

While he lived in Boston, Lord Dexter had probably seen 
the interior of the houses of John Hancock and other men of 
wealth, and had noticed in them cases well filled with books, 
and of course he thought his own palace would be incomplete 
without them. He searched among the bookstores of the time 
for nice-looking bound books, and these he bought without the 
least regard to their contents. They might be filled, for aught 
that he cared, with the silliest of trash ; if they only had smart 
looking covers, they were all right for his library. 

His vanity led him to imitate royalty in keeping a poet laure- 
ate, and Jonathan Plummer was emplo3'ed in that capacit}'. As 
none of his poems have come down to us, we can only imagine 
in what lofty strains this laureate sang of his hero. 



AX ECCENTRIC CHARACTER IX EARLV COLONIAL HISTORY. 165 

Lord 'riiiiothy had also heard that tlie nobility of Enghmd 
had not only picture galleries, but large and handsome paint- 
ings in other parts of their houses ; so he sought out a young 
man, ha\'ing, as he thought, the proper taste, and sent him to 
England to buy suitable paintings for him there. When the 
young man returned he must ha\'e been disappointed that his 
patron chose all the daubs, and rejected the really line paintings 
of the collection. 

Lord Timothy set up a grand coach, and had his coat of 
arms painted upon it, with baronial supporters. Where he pro- 
cured his designs is not known, but he took great pleasure in 
displaying them. He drove in this coach a span of cream- 
colored horses, and nothing pleased him more than to dash along 
the road with the boys shouting after him, in praise or fun of 
the horses. It is said that when this turnout of his had become 
an old story, and the boys ceased to shout at the sight of it, he 
seemed to lose his own relish for riding, and after a while he 
sold the cream-colored horses. 

His w^ays of making money were yaried, and sometimes 
quite remarkable. He bought a large amount of the continental 
money used in the Reyolution, at a lime when it had so de- 
preciated in yalue as to be nearly worthless. No doubt those 
who knew of this transaction thouirht of it as one of his foolish 
yentures. But not long after the purchase, Alexander Hamil- 
ton, who proved such a wise tinancier for the nation, formed a 
plan for funding this money. By this means it became so valu- 
able that Lord Timothy made a large profit out of the transac- 
tion. 

He was in the habit of sending out, from time to time, ships 
of his own laden with goods for foreign countries. Such a queer 
character could hardly fail of being made the subject of jokes, 
by those with whom he transacted business. He was fitting out 



l66 STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 

a vessel at one time for Cuba, and a mischievous clerk, of whom 
he was buying goods, suggested that he send some warming 
pans out there, as part of an assorted cargo. He was so pleased 
with the idea that he ordered a good supp'ly of the articles, and 
we can imagine how the clerks must have laughed over the 
sending of such a cargo to a hot climate. But the captain of 
the vessel did Lord Timothy a favor, by giving to these pans the 
name of skimmers. The sugar manufacturers of the island 
needed something of the kind, and the}' found these long-handled 
skimmers to be just the thing for dipping the liquid sugar, and 
one tirm bought the entire lot. When the clerk who had sug- 
gested the cargo learned of the use to which it was applied, he 
was doubtless amazed to find that he had actually helped Lord 
Timothy to add considerably to his fortune. 

As grand people usually have more than one house, this 
noble lord resolved to build another for himself, and occupy it 
as a country residence. So he bought an estate in Chester, New 
Hampshire, and made as great a display there as in Newbury- 
port. On the house he placed the most absurd ornaments, and 
adorned it in a fantastic manner. His stables however were 
really magniticent, affording room for a large number of horses. 
He was probably a pigeon fancier, for it is said he built some 
enormous pigeon houses, out of all proportion to the size of the 
other buildings. 

His temper was never an amiable one, and we are told that 
the artist who marked the wooden statues for him came near 
being shot b}- a pistol which his patron fired at him, in one of 
his fits of anger. He proved ver}- disagreeable to his neigh- 
bors in Chester, and was so impudent and quarrelsome, that 
they at last gave him a horsewhipping. 

His love of display caused him to seek every occasion pos- 
sible to make himself notorious. He happened to be in Boston 



AN ECCENTRIC CHARACTER IN EARLY COLONIAL HISTORY. 1 6/ 

on the day w hen the news came of the death of Louis Sixteenth 
of France. IIuriTing back to Newburyport, he bribed the 
sextons of all the churches to ring the bells, and thus get up an 
excitement before he told the news. 

One of the most absurd things which he did, was to have a 
mock funeral for himself. He had an elegant coffin made, and 
an elaborate tomb prepared, and regular funeral services per- 
formed at his house. His wife had probably no tears to shed 
at such a ridiculous performance, and it is said he gave her a 




I'l.XlKK llLiLSE A-. n MjW AITEARS. 



good caning because she refused to weep. He was a bad man 
at one time in his life, and his early intemperate and dissolute 
habits probably made more conspicuous the eccentric traits in 
his character. It is said that afterward he regretted his follies, 
and reformed his life. 

Among his other ambitions was that of being an author, and 
he wrote a book with the unique title, "A Pickle for the Know- 
ing Ones." He was annoyed that the printers found fault with 



1 68 STORIES OF THE OLD BAV STATE. 

him in regard to the punctuation, and so he afterward wrote a 
pamphlet with no punctuation marks at all, except at the end 
of the book, where they tilled half a page. He informed his 
readers, that with these they could " pepper the dish to suit 
themselves." 

With all his odd ways, he had some redeeming traits, for he 
was benevolent to the poor, and honest in all his dealings : and 
before his death, which occurred in 1806, he disposed of his 
wealth judiciously among his relatives. 



MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF OLD COLONIAL DAYS. 



169 



CHAPTER XIX. 



MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF OLD COLONIAL DAYS. 



Therf: ha\e been such chan<>-es in the manner of Hvine 
since the days of our forefathers, that if we could go back as 
visitors, — 

" In the good old colony times, 
When we Hved under the king," 

we should find ourselves in a strange world. We should miss 
our numerous modern conveniences, and it would be a constant 
wonder to us how people could accomplish so much, especially 
in the way of domestic service, with such rude furnishings and 
so few appliances. 

In the davs of Governor Winthrop, a public bell would 
awake us at half-past 
four o'clock in the 
morning, and as we 
sprang out of our high- 
posted bed, hung with 
curtains, if it was in the 
winter time, we should 
need a light. Upon the 
light stand near by 
there would be no par- 
lor matches nor any such convenience, but we should have to 
strike fire with a flint, or else uncover the coals in the great fire- 
place, in order to light our tallow candle. 




COLONIAL BEDROOM. 



I/O 



STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 



The houses at first were rudel}^ built, oftentimes of logs, 
and only the richest people could afford frame houses. The 
pioneer settlers of Massachusetts felt obliged, in nearly every 
town, to build one or two houses to serve as garrisons, in 
case of an attack by the Indians. There were two of these 
" houses of refuge " in Haverhill ; they were two stories in height 




OLD NURSE nOMK>rKAi>, i>,\: 
Built about 1636. 



and built of brick. The windows were small and had iron bars 
nailed across them, to prevent an enemy from climbing in. 
There was only one door, and that just large enough for one 
person to enter at a time. The upper rooms had no stairway 
leading to them, but were reached by ladders, so that in case of 
an attack, the inmates could climb up there, and take the ladders 
up after them. They would then be secure, in case an enemy 
should gain an entrance to the lower story. When the country 
became more thickl}^ settled, and there was less danger of Indian 



MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF OLD COLONIAL DAYS. 



I/I 



attacks, a better class of dwellings, more adapted to the wants of 
the faniih', were built. 

The prevailing style of most of the country houses in the 
days of the royal governors was a square structure, two stories 
high in front, and sloping down to one story in the rear. The 
front door was in the middle of the house, and massively built, 
with a ponderous knocker to give notice to the family of visitors. 
The Old Nurse Homestead (illustrated on page 170) is a good 
example of this st3'le of house. In Boston and other large 
towns, many of the dwellings were built with the end to the 
street, the side windows overlooking a spacious garden or lawn. 
There was plenty of room in those days, and land was cheap, 
so almost every estate included a- large garden. 

The ceilings of the houses were low, and the stout oaken 
beams in the rooms 
gave one a feeling 
of strength and secu- 
rity. The fireplaces 
were enormous, 
large enough to lay 
a four-foot log upon 
the andirons, and the 
children of the 
family could sit in the corners of an evening, and gaze up 
through the huge chimney to the stars. A crane swung in the 
fireplace, and on it were rows of iron hooks on which to hang 
the pots and kettles for cooking. 

If the family had a piece of meat or a fowl to cook, it was 
roasted before the fire, and by being frequently turned and 
basted it acquired a delicate brown, and made a most delicious 
roast. Cakes made of Indian meal, called '^bannocks" In- 
some, were spread upon large tins, and baked before the fire in 




A COLONIAL FIREPLACE. 



172 



STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 




MANNERS *AND CUSTOMS OF OLD COLONIAL DAYS. 



173 



this way. The bread was made mostly of r\'e and Indian meal, 
for flour such as we have was scarcely known at all. Most of 
the families howe\'er raised a little wheat, and this was ground 
and used unbolted for a coarse kind of bread. For sweetening 
food and drinks, molasses and brown sugar were in common 
use, and it was only the rich people who could afford the luxury 
of loaf sugar. 

Baking day was a busy one in the colonial families, and the 
children were called upon to bring plenty of wood, for heating 
the great brick oven, that was usually built on one side of the 
kitchen fireplace. The brown bread was mixed in a huge 
wooden trencher, and baked in large basins, and enough was 
generally made at a time to last for a week. 

The houses were nearly all built to face the south, so the 
inmates could tell the time on pleasant days by noticing the sun. 
When it reached a cer- 
tain mark, they knew 
it was noon, and as 
nearly eyerybody espe- 
cially the farmers, had 
their dinner at that 
hour, some one would 
blow a tin horn to call 

them to the meal. In the earliest days there were few car- 
riages, except in the large towns, and people usually journeyed 
on horseback. A pillion added to the saddle was often used 
upon horses, so that a man and his wife, and perhaps a young 
child, could ride together upon the same animal. 

People were used to exercise in those days, and it was 
thought no hardship for young or old to walk four and flye miles 
to church. These places of worship were built frequently on 
the summit of a high hill, if in the country, and were severely 




OLU-STVLE COACH. 



174 



STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 



plain. Our fathers had grown weary of the pomp and display 
of churches in the old world, and so here they went to the other 
extreme. Until there was no more danger from Indians, all the 
men, with the exception of the minister and perhaps two or three 
deacons, w^ere required to go armed to the meeting house. 

They had no means of 
heating their churches in 
winter, and .the people pa- 
tientl}' sat in the cold to listen 
to sermons that were often 
two hours long. An hour- 
glass was placed on the pul- 
pit, and it was the sexton's 
duty to turn this w hen the 
hour expired, as the minister 
had no other means of know- 
ing the time. We can imag- 
ine that some of the restless 
boys and girls, and perhaps 
their fathers and mothers, 
watched with eager eyes to 
see the last grains of sand fall from the glass. 

From descriptions left, and bills of materials for clothing, 
and also from ancient portraits, a pretty good idea has come 
down to us of the dress of the olden time. The men, especially 
those who were wealthy, wore rich materials for their clothing, 
and this was often of gorgeous colors. Crimson, blue, and 
purple velvet coats trimmed with gold lace, white and buff satin 
waistcoats, with knee breeches of the same, adorned with silver 
buckles, formed the costume worn by the gentlemen on state 
occasions. A powdered wig and a cocked hat made the head 
gear, and as they walked forth with silver buckles upon their 




FIRST CHUKCH AT SALEM. 
Built 1634. 



MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF OLD COLONIAL DAYS. 



1/5 



pointed-toed shoes, and embroidered rutiies fulling over their 
hands, thev presented a tine appearance. 

The women of qnah'ty dressed equally rich, and brocaded 
silk and satin skirts, with short gowns of velvet or other rich 
material, formed their costume, when invited to a dinner party, 
or to take part in the stately minuet. 
For common wear the women and girls 
dressed in flannel gowns in winter 
these were usualh" spun and 
woven in the familv. It is 
said that in the summer, the 
women were quite contented 
if thev owned but one calico 
gown. 

The bovs and girls used 
to go barefooted always in 
summer, when at home ; and 
as shoes were scarce, and 
they wanted to make them 
last as long as possible, they 
often carried them to church, 
putting them on just before 
they reached there. In winter they wore thick leather shoes, 
and in summer their shoes were made of thin leather or broad- 
cloth, and were usually pointed and turned up at the toe. 

In their social customs, considerable distinction was accorded 
to rank in the early colonial days, and people were seated in 
church by a committee who assigned their places according to 
their age or their supposed position in society. Among the 
men, those who were learned in the law, or held office, were 
addressed as Squire. Those who were respectably connected, 
or in any place of authority, were saluted as Master ; none others 




FULL DRESS COSTUMES IN COLONIAL DAYS. 



176 



STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 



were entitled to the name. This word, which we have abbrevi- 
ated in our day to Mr., is used as a prefix to the names of all 
men now in every rank of life. But in the olden time, Good- 
man and Goodwife were the names always applied to the men 
and women of the common class. 

A curious custom for determining elections was ordered by 
the General Court of Massachusetts. Corn and beans w^ere 
used in voting, the corn signifying that the election was made, 
and the beans to the contrary. If any one was found to have 
put in more than one kernel of corn, or an extra bean, a " heavy 
penalty" was imposed upon him. 

There was a great scarcitv of coin in the colonies, so that 
people had to barter goods when they made a trade. As the 

population increased, money of 
some kind was so nuich needed 
that the government passed a law 
to issue a certain kind of coin, 
and Captain John Hull was ap- 
pointed mint-master. The largest 
of these coins had a pine tree 
stamped upon them, and hence 
were called "Pine-Tree Shillings.'' The mint-master was 
entitled to one in every twenty of these pieces as his pay for 
coining them. As there was a great demand for them, and a 
steady supply required, he soon began to grow honestly rich, 
for he scorned to take a piece more than rightfully belonged to 
him. 

The following is a true story of how he disposed of some 
of his wealth. He had a fair daughter, and in course of time 
young Samuel Sewall, who was of excellent family, paid his 
court to the young lady. Her father approved of the match, 
and in giving his consent to their union, said, " Yes, 3'ou may 




PINE-TREE SHILLING. 

Both sSdes. 



MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF OLD COLONIAL DAYS. 



177 



take her, and yoiril rind her a heavy burden enough." The 
significance of this remark the young man was to find out in 
due time. 

In those days there was not as much display made at wed- 
dings as at the present time, but the captain gave his daughter 
as good a send-off as need be. It is said he was elegantly attired 
in a plum-colored coat, and the silver buttons wdiich adorned it 
were made of the " Pine-Tree Shillings." The bridegroom 
wore a purple coat with gold lace, waistcoat, and big silver 
buckles on his shoes. The bride was also richly dressed, and 
they made a fine-looking couple. 

After the ceremony, at a whispered hint from Captain Hull, 
his menservants astonished his guests by bringing in some huge 
scales. Their wonder in- 
creased when the captain 
said, '^ Daughter, get into 
one of those scales."' She 
immediately obe3"ed, and 
soon the servants returned 
bearing a large chest. 
The captain applied his 
key, and as it flew open, 

lo ! the chest was full of ,^^ j ^^^ colonial chest. 

brifjcht '* Pine-Tree Sliil- 
lings.'' "Put-them into the other side of the scale lively now," 
he said, and as thev obeved him the silver coin at length bal- 
anced the weight of the bride. ''There, son Sewall," said the 
delighted father, '* take these shillings for my daughter's 
portion. It isn't every wife that is worth her weight in silver." 

The colonists lived in a time that " tried men's souls," and 
it gave a somber coloring sometimes to their social and domestic 
life. Hut rrood times and merrv ones w'ere not wanting in the 




178 



STORIES OF THE OLD BAY STATE. 



roomy old houses, and corn huskings and apple-paring bees 
were of frequent occurrence — in their season. Family disci- 
pline was maintained at all 
hazards, and though it would 
be considered somewhat 
strict at the present day, 
it gave to the State a race 
of law-abiding and God- 
fearingpeople. The children 
were taught to be reverent 
and respectful to all, espe- 
cially to the aged, and with 
rare exceptions, they were 
required to perform daily 
their " stint " of work, after 
which they could play. 

The b o }' s were 
brought up to some def- 
inite emplo3'ment, and at 
the proper age were 
bound out as apprentices if 
they chose a trade ; or if 
designed for a profession, 
they were sent to some 
school or private tutor to be fitted for College. - 

The girls were taught to be thrifty housekeepers, and, not 
only to card and spin, but also to weave the cloth for the family. 
They were instructed too in the art of fine needlework, and the 
dainty stitching and hemming of the ruffles upon the shirts of 
the fathers and brothers of the family were beautiful specimens 
of their work. Every little girl, as soon as she was old enough, 
was ambitious to do a '^ sampler." This was a sort of Family 




SPINNING-WHEEL. 



MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF OLD COLONIAL DAYS 1 79 

Register, done with silk, in cross stitch upon fine canvas. It 
bore the names and the date of birth of every member of the 
family, and was often adorned with fancy figures and rather 
stiff-looking trees and flowers. 

A little daughter of a rebel patriot of Menotomy, now Arling- 
ton, carried an important dispatch, which her father wished to 
send to Boston, sewed up in her sampler. When asked by some 
British soldiers who met her, where she was going and what she 
had in her bag, she innocently replied, that she was going to see 
her grandmother in Boston and spend Sunday with her, and that 
she was taking her sampler for work ; and opening the bag, she 
showed them some of her silks. She was allowed to go on her 
way rejoicing, and before seeking her grandmother, she de- 
livered the important paper as her father had directed. 

The people of these early days of which we have been read- 
ing missed a great deal of what we now enjoy, especially in 
books and in facilities for gaining an education. But they 
made the most of their scanty privileges, and it has become a 
coveted honor to trace one's descent from these colonial or 
revolutionary heroes. 



NDEX. 



A. 

Adams, John, 64, 161. 

Adams, Matthew, 147. 

Adams, Samuel, 39 ; address in Fanueil 
Hall, 47 ; bears demand of people to 
Gov., 4S ; desires union of colonies, 52 ; 
objects to tea landing, 54; speech, 55; 
delegate to General Court, 59 ; opens 
court room doors, 60 ; Representative 
to Continental Congress, 64; in Lex- 
ington, 65 ; refused pardon, 72 ; can- 
non named for him, 144. 

Agawam, Mass., 90. 

Aldan, John, 36. 

Alderman, an Indian, 87. 

Alexander, son of Massasoit, 80. 

Allen, John, toi. 

Amboy, N.J., 151. 

American Army, 132. 

American Revolution, 70. 

Anne, Queen, 1 1 1. 

Appleton, Nathan, 134. 

Arbella, The, 26. 

Arnold, Benedict, 132. 

Attacks, Crispus, 47, 50. 

Austin, Ebenezer, 129. 



Bacon, Nathaniel, iio. 
Barrett, Col. James, 69. 
Beacon Hill, 23, 29. 
Beers, Capt., 85. 



Bellingham, Gov., 34. 

Bernard, Gov., 44, 123. 

Blackstone, William, 23, 25. 

Blackstone's Farm, 29. 

Blake, George, 141. 

Blessing of the Bay, The, 89. 

Boston, England, 23- 

Boston, Mass., 23, 28, 37, 45, 46, 50, 51, 
56, 58, 62, 70, 78, 82, 88, 92, 94, 109, 1 18. 

Boston Common, 23, 34, 50, 65. 

Boston Grammar School Fund, 161. 

Boston Harbor, 20, 23, 42, 59. 

Boston Market, 92. 

Boston Massacre, 50, 57, 64. 

Boston Neck, 65. 

Boston Tea Party, 55. 

Bradford, William, 17, 150, 151, 153. 

Bradley, Isaac, T07, to8. 

Bradley, Joseph, 107. 

Bradstreet, Simon, 25. 

Braintree Street, now Harvard, Cam- 
bridge, I2r. 

Ikattle Street, Boston, 46. 

Brattle Street, Cambridge, 127. 

Breed's Hill, 72, 136. 

Bridgewater, 14. 

Bristol, R.I., So. 

British Admiral, 77. 

British, 69, 70, 77, 79. 

British troops, 66, 113, 138, 179. 

Brookfield, Mass., 83, 85. 

Brooks, Gov., 141. 



I82 



INDEX. 



Bunker Hill, 73; battle, 132, 136, 138; in- 
scription on first monument, 140; Mon- 
ument Association formed, 141 ; laying 
of cornerstone, 142. 

Burlington, N.J., 151. 

Bute, Lord, 40. 



Caldwell, James, 47, 50. 

Cambridge, Mass., 50, 58, 63, 1 1 1 ; Provin- 
cial Congress met at, 64 ; name changed 
to,ii8 J Harvard College located at, 120; 
arrival of Washington at, 1 23 ; head- 
quarters of army, 130; bridge built, 132. 

Cambridge Common, 63, Washington 
takes command of army, 75, 113. 

Cape Cod Bay, Mass., 13, 14. 

Carver, John, 15, 17. 

Castle, The, Boston Harbor, 51, 55, T13. 

Chapin, Samuel, 93. 

Charles River, Mass., 23, 134. 

Charlestown, Mass., 25, 50; ferry-boats 
not allowed to run, 59 ; people see sig- 
nal in Christ Church tower, 67 ; troops 
conveyed to, 73 ; fired upon from Copp's 
Hill, 74. 

Charlestown Neck, 67. 

Charter Street, Boston, 37. 

Christ Church, Boston, 66. 

Church, Capt., 87. 

Church of England, 38. 

Clark's Island, Mass., 17. 

Claudine, captive maiden, 116, 117. 

Committee of Safety, 48, 63, 69. 

Concord, Mass., 63 ; soldiers marched to, 
65, 69 ; militia rallied, 70. 

Concord River, Mass., 69. 

Concord North Bridge, Mass., 70. 

Connecticut, 89. 

Connecticut River, 8S ; Capt. Mason sails 
up, 92 ; 100. 

Connecticut Valley, 94. 



Continental Congress, 59; meets Sept. i, 
1 774, 60 ; delegates to, 64 : orders medal 
to celebrate evacuation of Boston, 79. 

Cotton, John, ^;i, 34. 

Copp's Hill, Boston, 72, 74. 

Copp's Hill Burying-Ground, 39. 

Council Chamber, 40. 

Cradle of Liberty, 54. 

Craigie, Ur. Andrew, 132. 

Craigie, Mrs., 133. 

Cushing, Thomas, 64. 

D. 

Dartmouth (tea ship), 54. 
Dawes, William, 65, 67. 
Dawes, Thomas, 123. 
Declaration of Independence, 160. 
Denham, merchant of Philadelphia, 155, 

156. 
Deerfield, Mass., 86, 92 ; first point of 

attack in French and Indian War, 95 ; 

97, 99, 100; rebuilt, 10 1. 
Devonshire Street, Boston, 30. 
Dexter, Lord Timothy, 162, 163; adorns 

house with statues, 164; sets up a 

coach, 165; sends vessel to Cuba, 166; 

has mock funeral, 167. 
Dorchester, Mass., 35, 88. 
Dorchester Heights, 77. 
Dudley, Thomas, 25, 34, 118; house of, 

121. 
Dunster, Henry, 121. 
Dustin, early settler of Haverhill, Mass., 

108. 
Dustin, Hannah, 109. 



East India Company, 53. 
Eliot, John, 23^ 82. 
Endicott, John, 25, 34, 92. 
England, 21, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 36, 39, 45, 
56, 58. 59. 9-' 94; throne of, 95, 136. 



INDEX. 



i8^ 



English, 107, 110. 

English Church, 114. 

English Parliament, 40. 

Essex Street, Boston, 40. 

Everett, Edward, Pres. Harvard College, 



Faneuil Hall, convention held, 42 ; pub- 
lic meeting in, 47 ; funeral services of 
Attucks and Caldwell held, 50; meet- 
ings held, 52, 54, 57. 

First Church, Boston, 23- 

Folger, Miss Abiah, 145. 

Fort Hill, Boston, 29, 45. 

Franklin, Benjamin, 130 ; born, 145; 
apprenticed, 146; leaves Boston, 150; 
at Philadelphia, 152 ; returns to Boston, 
153; visits England, 154; returns to 
Philadelphia, 156; marries Miss Read, 
157; gives electrical picnic, 158; re- 
ceives degree of A.M. from Harvard, 
1 58; appears before Parliament, 159; 
commissioned to France, 160; elected 
Gov. of Penn., 161. 

Franklin, James, 146, 149, 150. 

Franklin, Josiah, 145. 

G. 

Gage, Gen., 58, 62 ; seizes cannon at 
Cambridge, 63, 64, 65 ; sends troops 
to Charlestown, 72 ; sends an e.xpedi- 
tion to seize powder in Old Powder 
House, 113, 129, 139. 

Gamage, William, 113. 

General Court, meets May, 1769, 44, 56; 
meets Jan. 1774, 57; meets in Salem, 
59 ; dismissed, 60, 63, 92 ; curious cus- 
tom ordeied, 176. 

George IV., 132. 

Glover, Col. John, 127. 

Goodwin, Mrs. — Washington's house- 
keeper, 129. 



Gore, Gov., 124. 
Gore Hall, Cambridge, 124. 
Granary Burying-Ground, 50. 
Gray, Samuel, 47, 50. 
Greene, Gen., 130. 
Green Lane, Boston, 37. 
(jreenough, Horatio, 141. 
Griffin's Wharf, 55. 

H. 

Halifax, N.S., 42. 

Hamilton, Alexander, 165. 

Hancock, John, 48 ; makes address in Old 
South Church, 57, 58; delegate to Con- 
tinental Congress, 64, 65 ; refused par- 
don by king, 72 ; cannon named for, 
144. 

Hanover Street, Boston, 45. 

Hartford, Conn., 88, 89. 

Harvard College, 34, 120; Hall, 121,123; 
site of observatory, 1 24 ; commence- 
ment of 1642, 124 : buildings used for 
barracks, 124. 

Harvard, John, 120, 121. 

Hatfield, Mass., 97. 

Haverhill, Mass., 107 ; visited by Indians, 
108, 109; garri.son in, 170. 

Haye.s, Gov., 34. 

Heath, Gen., 75. 

Henry, Patrick, 40, 53. 

Hobormack — an Indian, 106. 

Holmes, brother-in-law of Franklin, 153. 

Holmes, William, 88. 

Holyoke, Elizur, 93. 

Hopkins, Stephen, 105. 

Howe, Gen., 77, 78. 

Hoyt — quotation from, no. 

Hudson, Henry, 1 5. 

Hudson River, 1 5. 

Hull, Capt. John, 176, 177. 

Hull, Samuel, 88. 

Hull Street, Boston, 72. 



i84 



INDEX. 



Indians, 103, 107, loS, no. 
Indian War, 35. 

J. 

Jay, John, 161, 

Johnson, Lady Aibella, 24. 

K. 

Keith, Sir WilHam, 154, 155. 

Kent, Duke of, 132. 

Kiemer, printer, 153, 154. 

King's Chapel, 38, 79. 

King's Chapel Burying-Ground, 32. 

King Street, Boston, 42, 47, 49, 50. 

L. 

Lafayette, Gen., 141, 142, 160. 

Lathrop, Capt., 86. 

Laud, Archbishop, ^^. 

Laurens, Henry, 161. 

Lechmere's Point, 77. 

Lee, Gen., 123. 

Leicester, Mass., 142. 

Lexington, Mass., 58, 65, 67, 69, 70, 74. 

Leverett, Gov., 34, 35. 

Liberty Tree, 45. 

Lincoln, Mass., 69. 

Lion, The, 27. 

London, Eng., 37, 38. 

Longfellow, Henry W., 133, 134, 135. 

Long Wharf, 42, 113. 

M. 

Maine, iS, 37. 

Mallet, Andre, 116. 

Mallet, John, 1 1 1, 115. 

Mallet, Michael, 1 13. 

Marblehead, Mass., 127. 

Massachusetts, 22, 35, 37, 44, 52, 53, 59, 

60, 63, 87, 89, 95, 102, 107, 115, 140, 

145, 170. 



Massachusetts Bay, 20. 
Massachusetts Bay Colony, 36, 81, 82. 
Massachusetts Hall, Harvard College, 123, 
Massachusetts Indians, 23. 
Massasoit, 16, 19, 21, 80, 105, 106. 
Mason, Capt., 91, 92. 
Mather, Cotton, 34, 39. 
Mather, Rev. Eleazer, 99. 
Mather, Increase, 34, 39, 122. 
Mather, Richard, ;^;^, 34. 
Maverick — killed at Boston Massacre, 50. 
Mayflower, The, sails, 13, 14; compact 

signed in cabin of, 15, 16, 17, 24. 
Menotomy, in. 
Middlesex, Mass., 63, 113. 
Middlesex Militia, 130. 
Mifhin, Col., 78. 
Milk Street, Bo.ston, 145. 
Milton, Mass., 55, 62. 
Minot, John, 35. 
Minute Men, 63. 
Mohawk Indian.s, 55. 
Mohegans, 82. 
Montreal, Canada, 100. 
Mosely, Capt., 86. 
Mount Desert, 24. 
Mount Hope, 80, 83, 85, 87. 
Moxom, Rev. George, 91, 92, 93, 94. 
Mystic, III. 

N. 

Nantucket, Mass., 145. 

Napoleon, 132. 

Narragansetts, 81, 82. 

Narragansett hunter, 35. 

Natick, Mass., 82. 

Newburyport, Mass., 130. 

New England Colonies, 80. 

" New England Courant," 149. 

Newtown, Mass., now Cambridge, ij8, 

121. 
New York City, 130. 



Index, 



185 



Nipmunch chiefs, 85. 
Nonotucks of Conn., 82. 
Northampton, Mass., 99, loi. 
North American Colonies, 51. 
Northfield, Mass., 85. 
North Square, Boston, 34, 50. 
Norton, John, ;^^. 

O. 

Obbatinewat, 23. 

Oceanus, 14. 

Oldham, John, 88. 

Old North Church, Boston, 74. 

Old Nurse Homestead, Uanvers, 171. 

Old South Church, Boston, 28, 37, 39, 48, 

54> 57, 64, 74. 
Oliver, Andrew, 40. 
Oxford caps, 125. 



Paine, Robert Treat, 64. 

Paris, France, 161. 

Parker, Capt., 69. 

Parsons, Goody, 93. 

Parliament, 53, 56, 57. 

Peabody, Andrew, 124. 

Pecksuot, 19. 

Pequot Indians, 91. 

Percy, Lord, 78. 

Perkins, Thomas H., 141. 

Philip, King, 35, 80, 81, 82, 83, 85, 86, 87, 

107. 
Phillips, Willard, 133. 
Philadelphia, Penn., 55, 58, 59,60, 62, 151. 
Phips, Sir William, 36, 37. 
Pilgrims, 16, 17; receive Indians, 19, 20, 

21, 23, 24; make treaty with Wampa- 

noags, 80, 105. 
Pilgrims' Journal, 18. 
Pine-Tree Shillings, 176, 177. 
Pitcairn, Maj., 67, 69, 74. 
Plymouth, 17, 22, 23, 35, 36, 81, 82, 105. 



Plymouth Colony, 88, 91, no. 

Plymouth Rock, 17. 

Plummer, Jonathan, 164. 

Pocomtuch, 92. 

Pokanoket, 105. 

Pomeroy, Gen. Seth, 139. 

Powder House, 113, 114. 

Powder House Farm, 115. 

Prescott, Col. William, 72, 138, 139. 

Preston, Capt., 47. 

Province, 42, 51, 52, 56. 

Province Charter, 37. 

Province House, 39. 

Provincial Congress, 63, 64, 123. 

Provincials, 72. 

Putnam, Gen. Israel, 75, 76, 139. 

Pynchon Book of Records, 93. 

Pynchon House, 94. 

Pynchon, John, 93, 94. 

Pynchon, William, 89, 90, 92, 93. 

Q 

Quarry Hill, Mass., 63, in. 
Quincy Market, 143. 
Quixote, Don, 162. 

R. 

Randolph, Edward, 36. 

Read, Miss, 152, 153. 

Revere, Paul, 50 ; one of Boston Tea 

Party, 55 ; messenger to Phila., 58 ; 

carries resolves to Phila., 62, 65, 67, 1 1 3. 
Revolutionary War, 130. 
Rhode Island, 26. 
Robinson, John, 14. 
Rouville, Ilertei de, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99. 
Roxliury, 50, 65, 77, 89, 121. 
Russell, Thomas, 132. 

S. 

Saco, Me., 108. 

St. Botolph's Church, Bo.ston, Eng.. ^;^. 

Salem, Mass., 25, 36, 56, 59, 86, 163. 



1 86 



INDEX. 



Saltonstall, Richard, 25. 

Samoset, 18, 19. 

Sassacus, 91. 

Sausamun, John, 82. 

Saybrook Fort, Conn., 91. 

Schneider, Christopher, 45, 50. 

School Street, Doston, 28, 38. 

Scollay's Square, Boston, 32. 

Schuylkill River, Penn., 157. 

Schuyler, Gen,, 123. 

Sentry Hill, Boston, 29. 

Sewall, Samuel, 36, 37, 176, 177. 

Shawmut, 23. 

Shute, Gov., 39. 

Smitli, Col., 69. 

.Smith, Capt. John, 17. 

Smitli, Joseph, 128. 

Somerville, Mass., iii, 115. 

Sorrel, Canada, 99. 

.South Carolina, 59. 

Sparks, Jared, 122. 

Sprague, Knight, 142. 

Springfield, Mass., 85, 89, qo, 93, 94. 

Springfield Hill, 90. 

Spring Lane, Boston, 28. 

Squanto, 105. 

Stamp Act, 40 ; discussed by Tavliament, 

.58. 
Standish, Myles, 15, 17, 19, 20, 23. 
Stark, Jolm, 139. 
State Street, Boston, 30. 
Stoddard, Capt., 97. 
Story, William W., 138. 
Suffolk Resolves, 62. 
Sugarloaf Mountain, Deerlield, 86. 



Talleyrand, Prince, 132. 
Ten Hills Farm, 1 13. 
Thanksgiving, 21. 
Tories, 52, 63, 75, 78. 
ToMii House, 46. 



Tracy, Nathaniel, 130. 
Trade School Funds, 161. 
Tremont St., Boston, 38. 
Trimountain, 25, 26. 
Tudor, William, 141. 
Tufts, Nathan, 1 15. 
Two-Penny Brook, Jii. 



U. 



United States, 161. 

V. 

Vane, Sir Henry, 3^. 
Vaudreuil, Gov. of Canada, 100. 
Vassall Farm, 128, 130. 
Vassall, Col. John, 127. 
Vassall, Samuel, 127. 

"W. 

W^adsworth, Benjamin, 121, 122. 

Wampanoags, 80. 

Ward, Gen. Artemas, 72. 

Warren, Dr. John C, 141. 

Warren, Joseph, 48, 64, 65, 73, 140. 

Washington, George, takes command of 
army, 75, 76 ; erects breastworks on 
Dorchester Heights, 77, 78, 114, 123, 
127; makes permanent headquarters 
at Vassall house, Cambridge, 128, 129, 

"3°. >34- 
Washington, Martha, 130. 
Washington Street, ]5oslon, 28. 
Water St., Cambridge, 121. 
Watertown, Mass., 88. 
Webster, Daniel, 141, 142, 144. 
Welsh Fusileers, 136, 138. 
Wethersfield, Conn., 89. 
White, Peregrine, 14. 
Whitefield, George, 123. 
White River, Vt., 99. 
Whit taker, Joseph, 107, 108. 
Williams. Rev., 96, 98, 99, lOO, lOi. 



INDEX. 



187 



Williams, Mrs., 96, 98. 

Williams, Eunice, 100. 

Williams, Stephen, 99. 

Willard, Pies, of Harvard College, 122. 

Willard, Samuel, 141. 

Wilson, Rev. John, 33. 

Windmill Hill, Hoston, 28. 

Windsor, Conn., SS, 89, 91. 



Winnepesaukee Lake, 107. 
Winslow, Edward, 17, 105, 106, 107. 
Winthrop, John, made Gov., 24, 25, 26; 

appoints a Thanksgiving, 27, 28, 31, 

34, 118, 169. 
Winthrop, Margaret, 27,33. 
Worcester, Joseph Emerson, 133. 
Wynne, Dick, 1 16. 



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Send for Specimen Pages. 

Songs of the Nation* 

A Superb Collection of the Most Representative American 
.Songs, for Schools, Societies, and Homes. 

By Col. Charles W. Johnson, 10 years Chief Clerk of U. S. Senate. 

In these days, when the sentiment of country is calling for a new and fuller 
expression, this collection is most timely. 

It embodies the patriotic songs most in demand (25 of them), together with 
many more songs for Anniversaries and occasions, American folk-songs, a group 
of old religious favorites, the best College songs, etc. 

Sent by mail on receipt of price — 60 cents. 

Silver, Burdett and Company, Publishers, 
New York. Boston. Chicago. 



First Steps in the History 
of Our Country. 

By WILLIAM A. MOWRY and ARTHUR MAY MOWRY. 



Few books are so fascinating and stirring to boys and girls, either 
in school or under the evening lamp at home, as " First Steps in the 
History of Our Country." 

The book consists of the personal narratives of 39 of the most dis- 
tinguished Americans, from Columbus to Edison. Through tiie 
stories of these leading personages the history of our country is woven. 
The personal narratives are told with all the spirit and bright interest 
of an accomplished story-teller, and abound in anecdote and conver- 
sation, and are equally readable both to children and adults. 

When a young person finishes this book, he has gained a very fair 
idea of what AMERICA stands for, and he has also gained a proud 
idea of what it is to be an American citizen. 

It is also a most fair book. It gives both sides of disputed ques- 
tions. Thus, it recognizes what Lord Baltimore did for religious 
toleration in Maryland as distinctly as it describes what Roger 
Williams did for religious liberty in Rhode Island. In its portrayal 
of Calhoun, Clay and Lee, it gives to the South as fair a showing as 
the North receives in the stories of Webster, Lincoln and Grant. 

The book is up-to-date in its recognition of the Spanish war, 
which is treated in the interesting narrative of the beautiful work 
done by Clara Barton and the Red Cross Society. 

There is not a dull page in it. Though a history, it reads more 
like a romance. The dullest child who once begins to read this book 
will not want to lay it down until it is finished. 

As a school text-book for elementary grades, or for supplementary 
reading, or as a book for a child's library, it leads all others. 

J20 Pages. 21J Illustrations. Retail price., /j ce7its. 
(For introductory price to Schools, send for Circular.) 



" It starts out with the idea that the main thing that the child needs, 
in order to get his interest aroused in detailed history, is to get first of all 
a succession of powerful impressions of what the course of American life 
for the last four centuries means. So it is the significant epochs which 
are thrown up, and it is a combination of biography and episodes that 
jdves the color and connects the facts. Emerson's saying that every 
institution is but the lengthened shadow of a man was evidently one of 
the inspirations of this delightful little book." — The School Journal. 



Silver, Burdett and Company, Publishers, 

Boston. New York. Chicago. 



Historic Pilgrimages in 
New England. 

By Edwin M. Bacon. 

This is the vivid story of early New England, told 
while standing upon the very spots where the stirring 
Colonial drama was enacted. The famous places where 
the Puritans and Pilgrims planted their first homes, the 
ancient buildings, and the monuments to the wise and 
dauntless founders of the great Commonwealth are 
visited, and, while in the atmosphere of the associations, 
the thrilling narrative of the past is recounted. 

The connecting thread is the summer pilgrimage which 
a thoughtful young fellow from a western college makes 
to the country of his ancestors. He is accompanied by 
his father's friend, who talks entertainingly about the 
memorable facts which the hallowed soil suggests. 

The boy's earnest curiosity stands for the interest 
which some millions of others feel in the same events 
and personalities and shrines. 

Of all the books which describe that country and set 
forth the significance of the deeds done there, — from the 
landing of the Pilgrims to the first blow of the Revolution, 
— this new volume combines, jierhaps, the most that is 
of interest to lovers of Yankee-land. It is accurate. It 
abounds in facts hitherto unpublished. It gives snatches 
from early diaries and documents. Disputed stories are 
sifted until the fabulous elements are cut out. 

The style is graphic from start to finish— even statis- 
tics are made picturesque. 

475 P(ig<:\- isi Illustraiions. Uncut eJ<rcs. Retail pi ice, $i.^o. 
(For introductory price of School Edition send for Circular.) 

For School Libraries and Reading Circles, this book appeals to a deep 
and constant taste. For Supplementary Reading in the higher grades 
it is a mine of interest and delightful instructiveness. 

" \ Historic Pilgrim.-iges ' abundantly justifies its double purpose of 
serving both the student's needs of a gra^jhic summary of the history 
of Massachusetts Hay, and the stranger-visitor's need of a preparation 
for, and a pleasant keepsake of, his \o'axne.yv[\%%."— Boston Journal. 



Silver, Burdett and Company, Publishers, 

Boston. New York. Chicago. 



Stepping Stones to Literature* 

A Unique Series of Eiglit School Readers 
upon an entirely New Plan, Brilliantly Illus- 
trated with Masterpieces and Original Drawings. 

By Sarah Louise Arnold, Supervisor of Schools, Boston, Mass., 
and Charles B. Gilbert, Superintendent of Schools, Newark, N. J. 




This series marks a new era in School Readers. It combines with the necessary 
technique of reading, a real course in literature. It has the sincere literary atmos- 
phere. The early volumes create the beginnings of a literary judgment. The 
advanced volumes comprehend the whole range of the world's best writing. The 
pupil, at the end of the course, kiiorvs what literattire means. 

In this achievement these Readers stand absolutely alone. They justify the 
following deliberate characterizations : 

They are the most interesting Readers ever published. 

They surpass all other Readers in wise technique. 

They are superlative in stimulating thought and creating taste. 

They are unequaled in attractiveness of illustration. 

They give a better idea of the world's great literature, and more of it, than 
can be found anywhere else in the same space. 

A Mark of Their Acceptability. 

In their first year they were adopted by Boston, New York, Brooklyn, Phila- 
delphia, Chicago, St. Louis, Baltimore, Atlanta; by over a thousand smaller towns; 
by hundreds of counties; and by the State of Virginia. 

Patriotism in These Readers. 

The entire series is peculiarly rich in selections and pictures closely connected 
with American history and American greatness, well fitted to stimulate love of 
country in the pupil. The " Reader for Seventh Grades," is distinctively and wholly 
American, and its tales, poems, historical extracts, and illustrations are aUve with a 
proud patriotism. Send for Descripthe Ciradar. 

Silver, Burdett and Company, Publishers, 
New York. Boston. Chicago. 



l\jl* 



14 1899 



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